Nicolas F Avenge High
by Iron Robin
Summary: What if the Avengers were teenagers instead of adults? Follow their adventures through high school as they grow closer as friends. Watch as they get each other through various struggles, both physical and emotional. (Rating went up to T for brief child abuse and the intensified plot.)
1. Chapter 1

**I know some of you are waiting on my other story called "Loki's Unknown Servant." I hit a road block on that one and I'm hoping this story will help unclog my writer's block.**

**Hope you enjoy this one!**

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><p>Natasha Romanoff and school didn't mix. She wasn't a social butterfly. She'd always thought of herself as a wallflower. So when Ms. Gray came to the room of the orphanage she lived at and told her an anonymous donor was paying for a scholarship? Well, 16-year-old Natasha wasn't thrilled. She'd tried to refuse, but Ms. Gray insisted she take advantage of the opportunity.<p>

So that's where she found herself this breezy, rainy Monday morning; standing on the front steps of Nicolas F. Avenge High with a black messenger bag slung over her shoulder. She pushed a strand of long, curly auburn hair behind her ear and blew out a slow, collected breath. This was going to be easy. What was harder than walking into a crowd of kids her age? She could always bust out her karate if need be.

"Come on, Rogers! I'm going long!"

Natasha was rammed into from behind by a boy a little taller than she was. If she'd been anyone else she would have done a faceplant right where she was standing. "Watch where you're going, idiot," she snapped at him.

The boy flipped his unruly dark brown hair out of his eyes and fixed his chocolate colored gaze on her. "Watch where you're standing."

She glared at him, her emerald green eyes narrowed. "I didn't know there was a law that said I have to stand in a certain place in order to stay on my feet."

The boy smirked and was abruptly smacked in the head with a football, landing on his butt. "Okay, ow!"

Another boy, this one a bit taller, ran over. "Sorry, Tony. It was an accident."

He blinked sorrowful blue eyes at his friend and offered a hand to help him up.

Tony (since that was apparently his name) accepted the aid. "No big. I was distracted by Miss Grouchy here."

Natasha rolled her eyes briefly. "My name's Natasha."

The taller boy smiled shyly and said, "I'm Steve."

"And I'm Tony. But you knew that," Tony said, dusting his jeans off and straightening his red t-shirt that had gold print letters reading, _"Too cool for you."_

Natasha merely sighed. This was turning into a _great _start (notice the sarcasm). She'd managed to nearly embarrass herself within the first five minutes.

"Say, are you new here?" Tony asked, peering at her with a sideways look that reminded her of a chicken. "I think I'd remember if you weren't."

Steve elbowed his friend, shooting him a look that read, _"Be polite."_

Natasha nodded. "I just transferred this morning." The lie was easy to make. In reality, she hadn't gone to school since the sixth grade. Fortunately, she was an expert at teaching herself.

"Do you need help finding your way around?" Steve asked, brushing a single strand of blonde hair off his forehead and back into his neat haircut.

"Yeah, I kind of own this school," Tony said with a cocky tilt to his head. "Oh, and Steve, too. But he's my sidekick."

Steve just shook his head, not bothering to argue.

Natasha found herself smiling. Even if it was only a small one. "I might need a tour."

"Then you've come to the right place." Tony slung his arm around Steve's shoulders. "Because the Stark & Rogers Touring Company just got an open slot."

Steve half smiled, shrugging Tony's arm off. "Ignore him."

"Already doing it," Natasha informed with a mischievous smirk.

Tony looked mock hurt. "I'm wounded. Now, you ready to look around or what?"

She nodded once and followed the two through the front doors. Maybe school wouldn't turn out to be so bad after all.

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><p><strong>So what did you think? I've written a couple of the Avengers as high schoolers before and I thought it would be fun to give it a shot at publishing. <strong>

**Reviews always welcome!**


	2. Chapter 2

**I'm feeling particularly inspired with this story, so I went ahead and wrote more.**

**Oh, and I don't own the Avengers (believe me. I wish I did).**

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><p>He first met her in the music room.<p>

Most people didn't expect jock Clint Barton to play guitar and sing like an angel, but he did. He liked defying the statis quo. It was one of the things he was best at along with his buddies Tony Stark, Steve Rogers, Bruce Banner, and Thor Odinson. All of them were "freaks of nature" or so the other students said.

Tony was a genius who was several years ahead of his grade level. Steve was wicked strong compared to the other football players who were insanely jealous of his talents. Bruce was also smart and in almost the same brain category as Tony. And Thor was...how did he even begin to describe Thor? The guy was huge and carried around a freaking _hammer._

But he was getting off track.

Clint was perched on the nearest desk (for he always preferred heights to the ground), strumming his deep purple guitar. Hence him not hearing the group coming in. He began to sing, his voice carrying across the open room.

_"Life has moments hard to describe. Feeling great and feeling alive. Never coming down from this mountain we're on."_

When Clint sang, he lost himself in the music. A rare genuine smile settled in his features as he continued to play.

_"Always knowing we're gonna be fine. Feeling great and feeling alive. Never coming down from this mountain we're on. The view is so clear. And it's crazy up here. Life is amazing with you on the ride."_

He moved his fingers up and down the guitar as he played the final note, falling into content silence.

Of course, that was when the clapping started. "Bravo, Barton."

Clint jumped off the table, holding his guitar in an attack position as he whirled to face the door. Realizing who it was, he relaxed. "Gosh, Stark. Don't scare me like that."

Tony chuckled and said, "Sorry." He didn't sound apologetic at all.

Clint set his guitar aside before he finally noticed the unfamiliar face. "Who's the new girl?"

She had her arms crossed, leaning against the wall from where she'd been listening intently to his song. Her dark red curls were cascading down her shoulders and her gorgeous green eyes looked him up and down.

Clint couldn't help but notice she was beautiful. _Don't think like that, Barton,_ he scolded himself inwardly. _Stay focused._

"This is Natasha," Steve spoke up, introducing the two. "Natasha, this is Clint."

She offered a half wave, allowing a small smile in his direction.

He felt like he would swoon. Even a miniscule smile made her prettier. He cleared his throat awkwardly. "Good to meet you."

"Nice to meet you, too," she said. She hesitated for a moment before going on. "You sing really well."

Even her _voice _was astounding. Oh, wait. She'd given him a compliment. "Oh. That. Yeah, thanks. I've been playing since I could hold a guitar."

Natasha nodded in appreciation. "That's cool."

Clint nodded in return and shifted from foot to foot. He wasn't usually at a loss for words.

"Have you seen Banner or Thor recently?" Tony asked, filling the silence. "We've got to introduce Natasha to them, too."

Clint nearly breathed a sigh of relief. Good. He could answer a simple question. Being around the new girl did a number on his normal snarkiness. "Bruce is in the science lab as usual. And Thor shouldn't be too hard to find."

Natasha seemed slightly confused. "Why's that?"

Steve let out a low chuckle, blue eyes sparkling with humor. "You'll see."

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><p><strong>So I figured out of the Avengers, <em>one <em>of them was bound to be able to sing. And I just wanted it to be Clint. :)**

**Don't be shy! Let me know what you think.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Third chapter! They're short, but I assure you I'm doing that on purpose.**

**Enjoy!**

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><p>Midgardian life still confused him. Thor loved this realm more than he could ever say, but this place called "high school" was truly confusing. All the tenacity of the emotions and the drama was overwhelming at times. But in all honesty, Thor wouldn't trade it for anything. He'd made friends for life here. They felt like brothers to him. Even if Tony and Clint played pranks on him constantly.<p>

Another thing that confused the god of thunder was his fellow students here at Nicolas F. Avenge High. They found pleasure in their mockery. It wasn't that Thor was insulted. Yes, it upset him how there were mortals who so carelessly tossed aside their comrades' feelings. But the words never affected Thor himself. After all, he'd grown up with Loki his entire life. He was used to it.

Although, he couldn't say he was completely unharmed when the children called him a freak. That word stung. Even to Thor.

He found himself where he usually was. Wandering the halls while lost in thought. The stares he got didn't bother him. He knew it was because of his height and Mjolnir.

"Yo, Point Break! Slow down would you?"

Thor allowed a smile as he stopped walking. He would recognize that voice anywhere. "Friend Stark. Might I be of aid?"

Tony shook his head, skidding to a halt. Steve, Clint, and a girl Thor didn't know were right behind him. "No. I just wanted you to meet the new girl."

"Am I going to have to meet every person in your super exclusive boy band?" she asked with a slight smirk.

Thor tilted his head. He didn't understand what this "boy band" was, but it was obviously some sort of joke. "Who is this?"

Steve did the introductions again. "Thor, this is Natasha. Natasha? Thor."

Thor swept an arm underneath himself and bowed. "It is an honor to mee you, Lady Natasha."

She arched an eyebrow. "I see what you mean about it being easy to find him."

Clint snorted. "Yeah. That's Thor for you."

"Have I done something wrong?" Thor asked, bemused. He seemed to be like that a lot as he'd already established.

"No." Tony shook his head again. "You're just good old Goldilocks. That's all we ask of you."

Thor smiled. The names that he was called by Tony were interesting to say the least. But he knew his friend meant well.

Natasha had to crane her neck to meet his eyes. "So tell me. You're not from around here are you?"

Thor shook his head. "Nay. I am from Asgard, the realm of the gods."

She arched an eyebrow again, turning to look at Clint as if to say, _"Is this guy for real?"_

Clint clammed up, his cheeks going pink. He opened his mouth to speak, but no words came out.

Of course Steve started asking if he was okay. Thor knew what the first stages of love looked like. He also knew it was a private affair. That was why he didn't mention it.

Natasha probably knew, too, but she didn't comment as she turned back to Thor. "Well, it's nice to meet you, too. I heard there was one more in your group?"

"Bruce," Tony agreed with a nod. "Mr. Antisocial. He's going to love you. Come on."

The group started off toward the science lab and Thor followed. He was more comfortable with his friends anyway. Although, they did draw more stares from the passerby.

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><p><strong>Sorry for the crappy way that was written. Thor's one of the characters I struggle with. <strong>

**Again, reviews are always encouraged!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Sorry for the longer wait. And I promise I'll try to get "Loki's Unknown Servant" up and running again soon.**

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><p>The science lab was like his home away from home.<p>

Bruce loved it more than he could ever say. He probably spent more time in there than in any other place on Earth. Sure, he got teased for being the "science geek" by his fellow students, but he tried not to let it bother him. Usually he'd keep his cool, beam, and exclaim a, "Thank you!"

It drove those jerks nuts.

Of course when this happened, his best friend Tony would just about die laughing, but Bruce knew better than to let in to the bullies at school. To let in would be to get angry. And to get angry would be to-

No. He promised himself he wouldn't think about the Other Guy. Even thought provoked an attack.

Tony and he had tried to break the hold that the serum gone wrong had on him, but it was always to no avail. Fortunately, he had his friends to help prevent the Hulk from breaking through.

"Banner, my man! How long have you been down here now?"

Bruce smiled to himself as he looked up from his most recent project to see his group of friends striding through the door along with someone he didn't recognize. Doubt immediately flickered through his mind as a frown appeared on his face.

Steve must of noticed because he said in that calm, reassuring way he had, "It's okay, Bruce. She's a friend."

Bruce nodded hesitantly and allowed a guarded smile to come back. "What are you guys doing here?"

"We're not supposed to visit our incredibly antisocial friend?" Clint asked, arched an eyebrow.

"We desired you to meet our new companion," Thor broke in, a big smile in his expression. "This is the Lady Natasha Romanoff."

Bruce slipped off his goggles and walked over, holding out a hand for her to shake. "Nice to meet you. I'm Bruce Banner."

She glanced down at his hand and looked back up at him, instantly trusting this seemingly unstable boy. She shook it without further pause. "Nice to meet you, too."

Clint looked almost...jealous. Bruce had to wonder why. He'd never had anything to do with girls, so he didn't recognize the none-too-subtle signs of a crush.

"Hey, I heard there was going to be a science fair this Friday," Steve piped up in an attempt to calm Clint down.

Bruce's eyes instantly lit up upon anything to do with his passion. "Yeah! I'm so excited. I'm working on my project now."

Tony had snuck over to his desk and was peering at the contents on top. "Whatcha makin'?"

Bruce rushed over, elbowing Tony away. "Don't touch it! It's dangerous to anyone but me."

Tony jumped away, holding his hands up in surrender.

"Why is it dangerous?" Thor asked with curiosity.

"Because..." Bruce suddenly became flustered as he tried to hide his notes. He was embarrassed. He didn't want them knowing what he was doing.

"Bruce?" Clint prodded with concern. "What's wrong?"

"It's..." he bit his lip, dropping his gaze to the desk as he felt frustrated tears well up in his eyes. He instantly felt ashamed. He wasn't supposed to cry.

Less than a second later he felt strong arms around him. There was a small circle of warmth at the middle of his back, too. An ARC reactor warmth.

_Tony._

"It's okay, Brucey," his best friend said, voice a reassuring murmur. "You can talk to us."

Of course that just made his tense emotions worse.

Natasha hovered at the edge of the protective circle. She didn't think she belonged. Not yet anyway. So she just stayed back and watched with a studious gaze.

"It's the Hulk," Bruce choked out, voice thick. "I'm still trying to get him under control."

The arms around him tightened and he felt a heavy pat on his head. That had to be Thor.

"You'll get it," Steve said in the same comforting manner. "You're the smartest person I know."

Bruce knew things must be bad since Tony didn't voice a word of protest at the comment. He blinked to stop the tears and wiped the saltwater off his cheeks. "I'm sorry, you guys. It's just..." He broke off, shaking his head as he tried to keep his voice from wavering.

"These things happen, Bruce," Clint said quietly, shifting from foot to foot. "Things will end up fine in the end."

"We'll always be here for you," Tony reiterated, not releasing his hold on his science bro. "No matter what."

Bruce felt his heart swell with gratitude toward his friends. He didn't know where he'd be without them. Probably in a street alley somewhere, the Hulk letting loose everyday.

"I love you guys. You know that?" he stated, a smile breaking through.

They all grinned and moved in for a group hug.

Natasha still stood off awkwardly, a look of envy in her eyes.

Clint noticed and grabbed her hand, pulling her into the circle. It earned him a grateful smile for it.

Bruce sighed, enjoying the feeling of friendship. He knew as long as they were still together, everything would be okay.

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><p><strong>So what did you think? I had to put a couple of science bro moments in there. <strong>

**Reviews welcome and most definitely encouraged. I'm also taking requests on problems they should experience. *puppy dog eyes***


	5. Chapter 5

**Welp, chapter 5. Hope you enjoy! :)**

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><p>He pretended to be secure. To be so sure of himself that nothing bothered him.<p>

But it was all a façade.

Tony wasn't sure of anything these days. His dad hated his guts. His mom tried too hard to smooth things over between them. He was locked in his workshop 24/7. He only ever got out to go to school. It seemed like down there, with all his bots and tools, was the only place where he was safe from the horrors that were his life.

And his friends? Well, his friends were completely oblivious to his trials. He'd come close to telling Bruce about them multiple times. Same with Steve. But for some reason, he'd never been able to get the words out.

He'd wormed his way out of the group hug with an excuse about having to use the facilities and they'd brushed him aside. In reality, he just needed to get away before the panic attack hit him.

Yeah, that's the thing about having a crappy life. You always got a heaping side order of memories with extra salt.

So, Tony did head to the bathroom. But not before the remembrance of last night crashed into him like a wave in a stormy sea.

He had to lean against a random locker and slide to a seated position, hugging his knees and resting his forehead against them.

_"Tony, what the heck are you doing in here?"_

_"Oh. Hey, Dad. I was just-"_

"_Don't you 'hey, Dad' me. Who gave you permission to get into my room?"_

_"Uh...J.A.R.V.I.S. said-"_

_"Not your stupid A.I. again! It doesn't even work right!"_

_"Yeah, it does. You just don't give him a chance!"_

_"I don't have to give him a chance! He made me spill my scotch."_

_"Is that all you care about?! Your freaking **alcohol**?!"_

_"Don't you talk to me like that, young man. I am your father."_

_"Some father you turned out to be! You're just a coward hiding behind a bottle of beer. You don't even love me."_

_"Love you? Why the heck would I love you?"_

_"I'm your son!"_

_"And?"_

_"And a father is supposed to love his son!"_

_"Is this enough love for you?"_

Tony reeled back and snapped out of his memories when he recalled the harsh slap to his cheek. It had hurt like fire against his skin. But he should be used to it by now. After all, that was probably the sixth time this week.

"Hey, look. It's the math nerd."

Tony inwardly groaned. He couldn't take this right now. He tried to ignore them, but they grabbed the collar of his shirt and hauled him to his feet.

"What should we do with him this time, Bryan?"

"Well," the kid sneered. Bryan Travis. Only the biggest kid in school. With a mane of orange hair and a beard growing, some said he was actually 21, but got held back so many years. "We shoved him in a locker last time, so that's out."

"And that was _so_original at the time," Tony smirked, putting on his snarky façade again. "Seriously, Bry. Come up with something more clever. Oh, wait. You're not. How many years have you been a junior now?"

"Why, you little-"

Bryan pulled back and the next thing Tony felt was sharp pain in his gut.

Ow..okay...so a fist to his stomach wasn't what he'd had in mind. Although, he'd been expecting it.

"That all you got?" he choked out, wheezing.

"No way, nerd. I've got a lot more coming."

"Can't wait."

One...two...three more blasts of pain. If he hadn't been disoriented from his panic attack he might have been able to put up more of a fight.

"Hey!"

A trash can lid flew out of nowhere and ricocheted off both boys, causing Bryan to drop Tony.

"That's enough. Why not pick on someone your own size?"

On seeing the star quarterback that was at least a head taller than they were, the boys booked it, trying their best to get away.

Tony saw stars as he curled into himself, trying to block out the pain in his stomach.

"Tony! Are you okay?" Steve asked, concern in his clear blue eyes as he knelt next to his friend.

"Fine," Tony managed.

He felt a warm hand rubbing his shoulder, trying to find any injuries. Bruce, of course.

"Did it happen again?" he asked quietly, blinking his knowing brown eyes at his best friend.

Tony just nodded, feeling frustrated/pained tears welling up. He angrily blinked them away. "I'll be fine."

He shakily got to his feet and started off toward his locker. "We need to get ready for school anyway."

Steve and Bruce exchanged worried glances. They both knew that Tony was anything but "fine." But they're friend was too stubborn to ever admit it.

They'd just have to keep an eye on him.

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><p><strong>I dedicate that Tony whump to femaleAJ. Thanks to all who have followed, favorited, and reviewed.<strong>

**Keep it coming. You're all epic!**


	6. Chapter 6

**M'kay, so after this chapter I'll have at least done one of each Avenger's point of view. I'm most definitely open to requests. ;)**

**Oh, and to answer your question, Tony's dad didn't die until he was about 17. That might actually be a good thing to write about later...**

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><p>His judgment was questioned at least once a day.<p>

Steve was considered cool. Being the star quarterback of the football team kind of did that to you. But he was constantly being asked about his motives.

_"Why do you hang out with the geek squad? Why do you pretend you like them? Why don't you spend more time with us?"_

It drove him nuts. He could be friends with anyone he wanted. What was the big deal about being with kids less "cool" than he was, anyway?

He'd been told multiple times that if the coach recruited players on their awesome factor, he wouldn't have made the team in the first place.

Sure, everyone had loved him to start with. He couldn't shake the cheerleaders that had followed him around (_that _had been annoying). But once they figured out he spent time with the science bros, the guy who acted like a god, and the archery jock turned musician, they dispersed, leaving him to fend for himself.

Don't get him wrong. Steve could take care of himself. Just look at how he'd handled the school bully. But there was still that aching hole somewhere inside him that wanted to be filled with the camaraderie of his football teammates.

There had been times he'd nearly crumbled under the pressure of ridicule and had ditched his group of friends. But then Tony would blink those puppy dog brown eyes at him or Bruce would break down under the pressure of the Other Guy or Thor would go all Shakespeare on him or Clint would bonk him over the head with his guitar. He couldn't really say no to any of those.

The only bright side he could find was that even if the other students wanted to bully him, they couldn't. He could beat the snot out of all of them if he wanted to. Usually, though, he just kept to himself and only used his skills when the situation demanded it.

Even now he burned with anger inside. How dare Bryan beat up Tony like that? What had Stark ever done to him? All his friend ever did was dodge the students in the hall, keeping his head down, and only talking when it was necessary. It was a completely different side to Tony Stark than the one Steve saw when he was around his closest friends.

Steve didn't realize how long he'd been lost in his thoughts until he heard the words, "Mr. Rogers? I trust you know the answer?"

He blushed a deep shade of scarlet. Had he mentioned he was also every teacher's pet? "I'm sorry, Mrs. Parker. Repeat the question, please."

She arched an eyebrow in surprise, but did as he asked. "Name one symbiotic relationship in the creature world."

Steve gulped. That was more of a question to ask Bruce or Tony. Who, by the way, were both shooting him sympathetic looks. "Um...the clown fish and the anemone," he answered after mentally digging through his memory bank.

Mrs. Parker smiled indulgently. "Very good. And what are each of their tasks in this relationship?"

Steve paused, try desperately to come up with the reply. He had this. Good thing his photographic memory showed him the page he'd poured over last night. "The clown fish uses the anemone to live in and the anemone benefits from the fish when it draws predators into its shocking grasp."

"Very good, Mr. Rogers. Now, Mr. Travis. Name another symbiotic relationship, please."

Steve let out a relieved sigh and sat back in his chair. That had been a close one. Leave science to the smart people. Give him football plays and strategies any day.

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><p>"Dude, that was epic!" Tony crowed as he jogged alongside Steve, unable to keep up with his friend's long strides.<p>

Steve chuckled. "You think? I blanked there for a minute."

"No, that was great," Bruce reassured. "You hesitated for a moment, but you knew the answer."

Steve mentally frowned. Sure, he'd known the answer, but why? All because of his photographic memory. He'd gotten a lucky break was all.

"How'd bio go?" Clint asked as he fell into step next to his buddies, Natasha right beside him.

"I almost bombed a question in front of the whole class," Steve returned.

"Yeah, but he didn't. You should have seen the look on those suckers' faces." Tony grinned. "They totally didn't expect Rogers to have that knowledge."

Clint snickered and Natasha actually smiled in amusement.

Steve felt guilty as they made a fuss. Really, if it weren't for his memory he would have completely failed in front of everyone.

"Hey, it's almost free period," Tony said, glancing down at his watch. "We should do something together."

"Like what?" Natasha asked curiously. She didn't know much about this group yet.

Thor chose that moment to march up to the others. "I heard of an activity being planned. Have you made your decision yet?"

Clint shook his head even as a light bulb went on in his brain. "I could teach you guys how to use a bow and arrow."

Steve's eyes lit up at that prospect and he nodded. Bruce shrugged in his usual "I'm good with anything" manner. Natasha seemed excited. Thor just grinned, saying it would be "an intriguing learning experience." The only one who seemed uncertain was Tony, but even he relented.

"Great!" Clint exclaimed, happy that his friends were interested in his skill. "Let's do it."

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><p><strong>So, yes. The next chapter they're going to head to the archery range outside the school. If any of you have any ideas on what might happen while they're out there let me know.<strong>

**Thanks for reading!**


	7. Chapter 7

**Okay, so I'm actually a huge fan of Spider-Man and he's technically an Avenger in the comics, so. *shoves Peter into story***

**Hope you like it!**

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><p>He hadn't expected visitors to the archery range at this time of day. Most kids preferred being on their cellphones to getting a breath of fresh air.<p>

Peter, on the other hand, took a hankering for the outdoors. He didn't understand what was so amazing about technology, anyway. Okay, so his web shooters were freaking _awesome,_ but that didn't count. Right?

Besides, he wasn't allowed to tell anyone he was Spider-Man. Well, it wasn't a _rule _necessarily. He just didn't want to endanger anyone.

As his late uncle had once said, _"With great power comes great responsibility."_

And then Peter had shot back with, _"You should copyright that. You could make some big bucks."_

Of course that hadn't been the point of the statement, but he had trouble taking anything seriously. It was just one of the attributes he used to hide his insecurities.

_Ugh. You sound like one of those psychiatrist business cards, Parker. Next you'll be going to conferences where you talk about your "problems." No way._

Did he mention he had a habit of talking to himself? Even if it was mentally. Everyone dubbed him as weird because of it. What was with that? They meant to tell him they never talked to themselves like that nutjob Deadpool? Please.

"Are you sure we're allowed to be out here, Barton? I should go check the rule book."

"Rules? You? Ha! That's a good one, Stark. I think you're just scared."

Voices hovered into Peter's hearing range and he looked out across the field from where he was hanging upside down by the crooks of his knees in the old oak tree. Good thing he wasn't in costume. That would have been embarrassing.

"Me? Scared? That's even harder to believe than you suddenly picking up ballet."

"Ballet? Friend Barton would look very graceful performing this art of dance."

A feminine laugh sounded.

"Natasha finds it amusing. I could plug it into an equation and-"

"I don't think that will be necessary, Bruce."

"Yeah. Because we can all agree it would be likely. Right, Spangles?"

Then everyone was talking at once and Peter couldn't pick out the individual voices. Say, wasn't this the geek squad? The one that everyone made fun of? Maybe he should hook up with them. You know, for the sake of the statis quo and all.

"Hey, you're the group they call the Avengers, right?" he asked as soon as he knew they could see him. "Why is that, by the way? Is it because you avenge the days we have mystery meatloaf? Oh, that was priceless. I must admit that U.S.A. guy looked great up on that table and everything."

"Uh...who the heck are you?" the one Peter knew as Tony Stark asked in bemusement.

"The name's Peter Parker," he answered with a wave as he pulled himself up onto the branch and climbed down the tree with spider-like agility.

"I'm Steve Rogers," the one that was obviously the leader said. Hey, wasn't he the quarterback of the NFA Eagles? "This is Tony Stark, Clint Barton, Bruce Banner, Thor Odinson, and Natasha Romanoff."

Peter pointed at each in turn as Steve rattled the names off. It would be a miracle if he could keep them all straight. "So...U.S.A. guy, the Mechanic, the Hawk, Another Guy, Goldilocks, and Red. Gotcha."

"I didn't say-"

"Relax," Peter said, interrupting Steve. "I'm just kidding. It's kind of my thing."

Before he could make another move, the girl zipped forward and pinned his arm behind his back, pressing him against the tree. "If you call me Red again I'll...well, you get the picture."

Peter almost laughed. Out of all the villains he'd fought, this didn't hurt a bit.

_You're supposed to be nerdy. So go geek, Parker._

"Ow ow ow!" he complained, squirming in her grasp. "Watch the elbow!"

"Natasha!" Clint scolded, taking her gently by the shoulders and pulling her back. "That's not how we interrogate fellow students."

She sighed and flipped her hair out of her eyes. "Sorry. I get ahead of myself sometimes."

Peter rolled his shoulder, putting on a fake pained expression. "Jeez, what do you eat to make you that wicked strong? Multivitamins with extra oomph?"

Natasha smirked. "Watch what you say, web-head."

For a split second, Peter freaked on the inside. No one called him that when he was just being himself. Spider-Man on the other hand...

"Web-head?" Bruce asked, tilting his head curiously.

"He's obviously got a head full of...something that makes him..." Natasha waved a hand aimlessly. "Dumb?"

"Hey!" Peter protested even as he tried not to breathe a sigh of relief. So she didn't know. Good.

"It is a pleasure to meet you, Friend Parker," Thor greeted, shaking his hand.

If Peter hadn't had spider-strength, his hand would have been squashed like a bug. Literally.

"What are you guys doing out here, anyway?" Peter asked. "I mean, don't get me wrong. Fresh air is great. But most people run to the computer lab during free period."

"That's where I wish I was," Tony muttered to himself.

"We're going to try out the archery range," Clint answered. "These guys have no experience. Want to join?"

Peter froze in shock for a moment. They were asking him if he wanted to hang out with them? That was new. He was usually just shoved aside by all the bigger kids.

_Stop standing there like an idiot, Parker! Say yes!_

"Yeah, sure," he replied, trying not to seem too eager. "Count me in."

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><p><strong>So I realize I'm kind of dragging out this free period thing. It's the characters not me, I swear!<strong>

**Well, what did you think? Reviews welcome and most definitely wanted!**


	8. Chapter 8

**Sorry for taking so long to update, everyone. I'm such a terrible person when it comes to that. *facepalm***

**Thanks for being so patient with me and I hope you enjoy this next installment. **

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><p>Natasha took a chance and slipped off her black flats, enjoying the feeling of fresh cut green grass between her toes. She loved the outdoors. It was a good place to escape. She especially loved enjoying it with people close to her. The Avengers (as Parker had called them) weren't necessarily what she would consider close, but they would get there with time.<p>

"Okay, it's easy," Clint spoke up, instructing them on how to use a bow and arrow. "You place your weaker hand here, right underneath the place where the tip of the arrow rests."

He demonstrated, grasping the dark wood with his right hand. "Then you nock the arrow like so. And you pull back on the string with your dominant hand."

Clint pulled on the string so that his bent arm was ramrod straight. "When you aim you should keep both eyes open. Instinct is to squint, but that really does put off your accuracy."

He kept both his eyes open and aimed at the tree where they'd carved a target. "Then you just let go!"

He let go of the string and the arrow whizzed through the air, sinking itself right into the bull's-eye. "Easy!"

Natasha couldn't help but be impressed. He very well might have been the best archer she'd ever seen. Not that she'd seen many. "Not bad, Barton."

Clint grinned. "Thanks. Who wants to go first?"

"I'll pass," Peter held up his hands. "I'm more into gymnastics than archery."

"I'll probably hit someone," Bruce spoke up, smiling nervously. "I think I'll sit out on this one."

Steve glanced around the group before raising his hand. "I guess I'll give it a shot. No pun intended."

Clint chuckled and handed over the bow. Steve mimicked his stance, taking aim at the tree. On his first try he hit the target on the very right edge.

"At least I hit the tree," he joked, handing the bow over to Thor.

Thor took it willingly, beginning to pull back on the string. Unfortunately, being so strong, it snapped like a twig. "By Odin's beard!" he exclaimed. "My apologies, Friend Clint."

Clint waved a hand in dismissal. "That's why I grabbed a bow from the shed."

Natasha made her way over to said shed and came back with a new bow. "Maybe you should watch, Thor," she said to him, offering a small but somehow genuine smile.

He nodded in agreement. "I believe your judgment is sound, Lady Natasha."

She took her turn at the tree, hitting it just below the target. Natasha frowned. "Not bad for my first try, I suppose."

"Okay, you're up, Stark," Clint said, taking the bow from Natasha and handing it to Tony.

Natasha couldn't help but notice that Stark looked like he'd been given a nuclear bomb. She doubted anyone else saw. She'd always been good at reading emotions, and his were very subtle.

Tony nearly invisibly gulped as he took the bow and aimed at the tree. Natasha saw that the hand that pulled back on the string was trembling.

"You know," he started, lowering the bow, "I think I'll pass."

"Aw, come on. What are you afraid of?" Peter piped up.

"Give him a break," Bruce chided. "He doesn't have to do it if he doesn't want to."

"No, I will," Tony said determinedly, raising the bow again.

When the arrow flew it wobbled. The aim was so far off mark that it grazed Steve who grunted, placing his hand to his side with a frown.

"Oh God!" Stark all but shrieked, dropping the bow like it had burned him.

Thor's frown was severe. "Are you all right, Captain?"

Natasha arched an eyebrow in confusion. Captain? No one had called Rogers that before. Did he mean captain of the football team?

Steve glanced ever so subtly at her and then back at Thor with a warning look. "I'm fine. It's just a graze."

"I'll get the nurse!" Peter offered, running off at a speed that they might have considered ridiculously fast if they'd been paying attention.

"Let me take a look," Bruce ordered softly, taking a step toward Steve.

Tony was practically in hysterics. "I told you!" he almost shouted. "I told you this wasn't a good idea!"

Natasha took it upon herself to calm him down. She stepped up next to him and laid a gentle hand on his arm. "Stark, it's all right," she soothed.

"No, it's not!" he insisted, turning brown eyes that had nearly turned black with anguish on her. "I-I hurt him."

"Shh," she chided gently, beginning to rub his arm. She noticed that it was shaking beneath her hand. "He's fine. Look, the bleeding's already stopped."

Steve noticed their predicament and offered a bright smile. "She's right, Tony. See?" He moved his hand to show that there was barely a stain on his white shirt. "No harm done. I can wash it, get a clean shirt, and you'll never be able to tell."

Tony began to calm down, nodding slowly. "Okay," he said, taking a shaky breath that Natasha doubted anyone could tell was shaky but her. "Okay. Sorry I shot you."

Steve shrugged. "It's no big deal. I've dealt with worse."

Natasha cocked her head. The way he said it seemed almost...sinister. "You mean at your football games?"

He cleared his throat awkwardly, nodding. "Right, yeah. My games."

Clint had disappeared, but he now came back dragging Parker by the collar. "I told you we didn't need a nurse, Parker."

"Hey, lay off the merchandise, man," Peter complained, shrugging Clint off.

Natasha was even more confused now. What would have been wrong with getting the nurse to help Steve? Something fishy was going on here. She couldn't help but think that the boys were hiding something from her. Something about Steve. And she was determined to find out.

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><p><strong>So I listened to your reviews and yes, Steve's going to be from the 1940s since the majority of you wanted that. After this chapter I may take out Peter. He seemed misplaced here. Poor guy only got a couple chapters of glory. XD Also, I'm toning down the romance between Clint and Natasha. I'll start them out as friends to make you guys happy. :P<strong>

**Thanks for reading and don't forget to review!**


	9. Chapter 9

**Wow, I already have another chapter written. I must be on a roll.**

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><p>Clint felt as if the whole thing was all his fault. He'd been the one to suggest archery, after all. He'd never expected the entire thing to spiral out of control with Steve being hurt and Tony going into hysterics.<p>

But he needed to stop stressing over it. He'd never pass his chemistry test if he didn't start focusing. His older brother had already told him he couldn't go to the football game that week if he didn't make at least a B.

Clint paused, glancing up long enough to notice that both Banner and Stark were already done. Bruce was reading a book while Tony was none too discreetly tapping away on his phone. Figures. Why couldn't Clint be smart?

After a long grueling hour of ionic and covalent compounds, physical and chemical change, and the Law of Multiple Proportions, Clint was finally done. He darted out the door as the bell rang as if the room was on fire.

"That bad, huh?" Stark asked, falling into step with him.

Clint cringed. "You could say so. I probably flubbed every single question on the test. So much for wanting to support Steve at his game tomorrow."

Bruce patted his shoulder. "We'll cheer loud enough and he won't even notice you're missing."

Clint nodded. "Thanks. And by the way," he paused, glancing around him and lowering his voice, "you don't think Natasha suspects about Steve, do you?"

He'd noticed how they'd kept slipping up. Thor calling him Captain. Parker nearly getting the nurse who would have noticed something strange about his blood.

"Uh, I wouldn't know," Tony muttered, inspecting his shoes. "I was panicking, remember?"

The bitter tone in his voice implied that he wasn't proud of how he'd acted. That was Stark for you.

Bruce shot him a reassuring look before answering. "I don't know, Clint. Natasha's a smart girl."

"But you know Steve isn't comfortable talking about it," Clint pointed out.

"Talking about what?" Natasha asked, appearing seemingly out of nowhere to walk with the boys.

"His nearly perfect grade average and place in the high school football Hall of Fame," Stark answered immediately, his tone unbelievably casual.

Clint secretly marveled at his friend's ability to lie so well. It was almost terrifying. "Yeah, Steve's ridiculously humble."

"Ah." Natasha nodded slowly. "I see. I wouldn't really know since I haven't seen him play."

"There's a game tomorrow," Bruce piped up. "You should come!"

Natasha smiled at him. "Okay. Sounds fun."

Clint's pocket vibrated and he dug his phone out, frowning at the text ID. He opened it and his frown only severed. _Barney, you promised._

"What's up?" Tony asked, eyebrows knitting together in concern. He cared. Even if he would never admit it.

"Nothing," Clint replied bitterly, shoving his cell back into his pocket. "Nothing at all."

He picked up his pace, dramatically stomping his feet, leaving his friends behind. It was only one of the reasons they teased him of being a Drama Queen.

He ducked into the boy's locker room. It was usually empty this time of day. Furiously, he punched a locker, cringing at the sharp burst of pain that flared in his knuckles afterwards.

"Clint?" Banner's soft voice echoed through the room. "Are you okay?"

Clint glanced over his shoulder, seeing that all of them had followed him including Natasha. She didn't seem to mind in the least that she was standing in the boy's locker room.

"I'm fine," he answered, rubbing his sore fist.

"Your brother?" Tony queried knowingly.

Clint froze. He'd forgotten that he had confided in Stark about his problem. The guy was an unbelievably good listener. Clint let his shoulders slump, nodding sadly. "Yeah. _Again._"

Both Bruce and Natasha looked confused, but they knew better than to press for answers.

Clint felt Stark's arm slip around his shoulders and squeeze gently. "What was it this time?"

"He said we would spend some time together tonight. Just the two of us. We haven't done that in weeks."

"And he texted saying he had to work," Stark finished. "Trust me, pal. I know how you feel."

Natasha's emerald green eyes went from Clint to Tony and back. "So let me get this straight. You live with your brother, but he's usually working in order to pay the bills."

Clint eyed her suspiciously. Gosh, she was good. But he supposed it was pretty obvious. "In a nutshell? Yes."

Her gaze softened. "I'm sorry, Clint."

He shrugged. "What are you sorry for? It's not your fault."

She opened her mouth to answer, but instead just shook her head. Clint was grateful for that. He'd never been a big fan of pity.

"Who needs Barney, anyway?" Stark spoke up. "You can crash at my house tonight. Problem solved."

Clint tilted his head. The idea sounded wonderful, but... "I won't be intruding?"

"You kidding me? Mom and Dad are away on a business trip, so it's only me and J.A.R.V.I.S."

"Who's J.A.R.V.I.S?" Natasha asked curiously.

"Tony's artificial intelligence," Bruce supplied. "He's pretty neat."

"In that case," Clint grinned, "I'd love to spend the night at your place. What about the rest of the guys?"

"Already on it," Tony answered, tapping away at his phone again. Looking up he said, "Sorry, Nat."

Natasha shrugged, smiling wryly. "What, you think I couldn't handle a group of boys?"

"Uh..."

"Relax, I'm kidding. I've got homework to catch up on."

Clint's bad mood lifted at the thought of a night filled with movies and joking. Maybe his brother's absence wouldn't be so bad after all.

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><p><strong>Is it wrong that I broship Tony with everyone on the Avengers?<strong>

**Anyway, let me know what you think about this one! I remembered reading a review about confusion involving Clint's past, so I tried to supply a bit. More will probably surface later on.**


	10. Chapter 10

**Bear in mind that I have no brothers and therefore have no idea what a guy's sleepover looks like. So cut me a little slack.**

**I don't own any of these guys, sleepover or no. I also don't own Sky High (even though I've seen it so many times I feel like I do).**

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><p>Thor was delighted when the Captain informed him of the invitation to gather at Stark's house that night. He enjoyed these 'sleepovers' even though Clint always swore they were 'hangouts' and Tony readily agreed. They insisted that 'sleepovers' were what girls did. It made no difference to Thor. He merely enjoyed the company.<p>

That was why a grin was firmly set in place as he pounded on the door to the Starks' mansion at 8 o'clock that evening.

The door swung open on its own accord while a cool British voice stated, _"Welcome to Stark Manor, Mr. Odinson. I trust your trip here was uneventful?"_

The one Stark called J.A.R.V.I.S. had taken to asking Thor that ever since he'd overshot the mark while flying with his hammer and crashed into the side of the building, leaving a Thor-sized hole.

"If you are asking if I wreaked any havoc upon arriving, then I must say no, Invisible One," Thor answered, promptly striding through the door. He could have been wrong, but Thor was sure that he heard the computer voice chuckle.

"Hey, Point Break's here!" Tony exclaimed, poking his head out of kitchen. "Just in time for the pizza, too. You'd better hurry or Cap'll eat it all."

Thor walked in to find a flustered Steve protesting that his super soldier enhanced body needed more fuel than normal people.

Speaking of which, Thor still felt guilty about earlier that day when he'd called Steve 'Captain' in front of Natasha. It was force of habit. Thor always did that when the group was alone. And they were generally alone. But the Captain was sensitive about others knowing his pain filled past. Thor respected that, but mistakes happened. Nonetheless, he'd apologized profusely after the fact.

"You're lucky I'm not the Hulk," Bruce pointed out, trying his best to make a joke. "He'd eat all these pizzas in one bite."

Clint was currently residing atop the refrigerator, munching away on a slice that he'd managed to snag from the others. Hawkeye (or so Stark jokingly called him, but Thor liked the name) always preferred perching on high ground.

"My body has grown weak," Thor declared, reaching for a lone piece. "I require sustenance."

"I couldn't have said it better myself, big guy," Tony returned. "Except, well, I would have said it a little more...futuristically."

Thor knew that he spoke differently than the mortals, but he didn't care. Speech was a habit that was too hard to change.

"So you mentioned a movie, Stark," Steve spoke up. "What were you thinking?"

Tony's eyes took on a mischievous light as he said, "_Sky High._"

Clint groaned. "No, anything but that!"

"What's wrong with it?" Bruce asked indignantly. He happened to like that movie.

"What's _Sky High_?" Steve asked with confusion.

"Only the story of our very lives!" Tony answered dramatically.

"And you call _me _a Drama Queen," Barton muttered to himself.

"It's a high school for kids with superpowers," Bruce supplied helpfully to Steve.

"I think it sounds glorious!" Thor exclaimed, leading the way to the theatre room. "Let us watch this high school in the sky."

They got maybe five minutes into the movie (that wasn't even enough time for Will and Layla to get on the bus) before Tony conked out on the couch, his head in Bruce's lap and the rest of him splayed across Steve.

Thor studied his sleeping friend's form. He'd noticed Stark's bags under his eyes earlier, but that seemed like a permanent feature on the young man.

Bruce caught Thor eyeing Tony and said, "He hasn't been sleeping well lately."

"Scratch that," Clint spoke up from his perch on the armrest. "He hasn't been sleeping in days."

"Four days, to be exact," Steve put in.

"Four days?" Thor repeated, incredulous. He'd spent many a sleepless night in his life, but never at the extent of 96 hours.

"He has nightmares," Bruce returned softly, casting a tender gaze down at his best friend.

Clint snorted. "Yeah, but he's also constantly tinkering. He still hasn't told us what he's building."

Thor sat back, pondering each and every statement in his mind. The nightmares did not surprise him. He knew of Stark's past. He had many things to be haunted by.

Thor tried to focus on the film, but his mind drifted to other matters. His brother, for one. Loki. Thor had tried to convince his brother during his last visit to Asgard that he should come to Midgard as well. That not all the mortals were pathetic (as Loki thought them to be). But Loki had refused.

The bond, almost like family, between Thor and his friends made him think of what he used to share with his brother. But Thor tried to push that out of his musings.

Loki would have to come to his own terms with the Midgardian realm. And when he did, Thor would be waiting to accept him with open arms. As would his friends, he was sure.

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><p><strong>Yeah, so this one was shorter. Sorry about randomly throwing thoughts about Loki in there, but I'm planning on using him later.<strong>

**I'm pretty satisfied with this chapter, though. I mentioned Steve's super soldier body and Tony's 'tinkering' so I feel like I tied up a few loose ends here.**

**The next chapter will have some action, I swear.**


	11. Chapter 11

**I know I promised you guys action, but this idea popped into my head and it insisted on being written. Also, I'm switching the chapters of Bruce and Tony's PoVs. (I know Banner's technically next). FYI, I'll probably be doing that a lot as the story progresses. (And there may be more of Tony and Steve than the others since they're my faves.)**

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><p>Tony was having a rough night.<p>

It wasn't that his sleeping position was uncomfortable. (Actually, Banner and Rogers made rather good pillows.) It was the nightmares. He never seemed to be able to escape them no matter what he did. Even when he didn't sleep he still had panic attacks during the day.

This time it was about being held hostage in Afghanistan.

_It was two years ago. He was fourteen and his parents had dragged him to his dad's latest weapons demonstration. The Jericho missile._

_Tony didn't find that fair. He'd been the one to come up with the name. **And **he'd had design input. Why didn't he get some credit? No, Howard simply rambled on and on about how **his **latest weapon was going to change the face of the military. _

_Puh-lease. _

_"Mom," Tony whispers, pulling on her hand to get her attention. "Mind if I take a look around?"_

_Maria glances down at her son with pity before nodding. "Yes, of course. Don't wander too far."_

_Tony grins and agrees before meandering away from the demonstration. _

_Afghanistan isn't much to look at. There are miles and miles of sand and gravel. But even this is better than listening to his dad gloat about himself._

_Tony shoves his hands into his pockets and kicks a stray rock, not realizing how far he's roamed from the military base. _

_Hearing a sound like that of an explosion, he looks up to see the Jericho missile breaking into its many rockets._

_Right above his head._

_Tony's eyes widen and he begins making a mad dash back toward the base. But he isn't fast enough._

_A missile lands at his feet and he stands frozen in shock. This is it. He was going to die. And all because he didn't listen to his mother. What were the odds?_

_Before he can make a move to run, the rocket explodes, sending Tony flying backwards. Pain flares in his chest and he looks down to see blood forming in the place where his heart rests._

_That's all he remembers seeing before passing out._

Tony woke from the nightmare with a start, rolling off his friends' lap to land with a _thud _on the floor. He stared up at the ceiling for a moment, eyes wide. He half expected to see the cave he spent months in, but instead he saw the ceiling of the theatre room.

"Stark?" a gentle voice queried. "Are you okay?"

Tony looked over, his eyes tricking him for a moment because he could've sworn he saw Yinsen sitting there. But it was Steve.

His throat was thick with unshed tears; tears he couldn't afford to let fall. His voice came out as a croak. "Yeah, I'm fine."

Steve frowned, his normally bright blue eyes dark and stormy with concern. "You sure?"

Tony glanced around the room, noticing that the rest of his friends were asleep. How long had he been out? "Positive."

"Tony," Steve chided softly. "You know you can talk to me."

Tony bit his lip as he pushed himself up into a seated position. Part of him refused to place that kind of burden on Steve, but part of him wanted to get it out.

Steve's caring gaze ended up having him go with the latter.

"I was in Afghanistan again," he said finally, keeping his voice low so he wouldn't disturb the others.

"The cave?"

"No, the missile."

Steve nodded his understanding, not saying anything more.

Tony was grateful for that, but he always found himself spilling his guts to Rogers. He didn't know what it was, but he couldn't help himself.

"I was terrified," Tony whispered, pulling his knees to his chest and rocking back and forth. "I...No matter how many times I have it. I can't..." he broke off, shaking his head while hanging it in shame. Here he was, untouchable Tony Stark, falling apart over a nightmare.

A few moments later he felt a warm hand on his shoulder. Had Steve's hand always been that big, or were his shoulders shrinking? Maybe it came from rarely stopping to eat while tinkering in his shop.

"You're one of the strongest people I know," Steve reassured, taking on his firm, commanding 'Captain America' tone. "You'll get through this, Tony."

Tony took a deep breath, cursing the way it trembled in the slightest. "You're right. I'm Tony Stark. I can do anything," he said, putting on a cocky smirk.

Steve shook his head and chuckled softly. "Sure, Stark. Whatever you say."

Tony flashed a smile before getting to his feet. "Well, sleep is out of the question for me. Want to see something cool?"

"I guess so," Steve returned with a somewhat confused frown as he followed suit, also rising to his feet. "But if it's a newer, more high tech cellphone, I'm out."

"Relax, Capsicle." Tony smirked again. "It's not for you, but it's sure as heck better than a cellphone."

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><p><strong>This one was shorter again. Oh well. <strong>

**Can you guess what Tony's going to show Steve? (It's pretty obvious, in my opinion.)**


	12. Chapter 12

**This next chapter is dedicated to all you reviewers that asked if Tony would have his suit. (You know who you are. ;))**

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><p>Steve didn't understand 21st century technology. Sometimes he wondered if he ever would. Sure, his friends had given him the crash course on how to use a laptop and a cellphone, but that was about as far as his knowledge reached.<p>

So when Stark led him into his workshop, Steve was completely at a loss. Computers beeped at him from all directions, high tech gadgets that he'd never seen before were strewn across the floor, and there was a...a suit of armor? Except it didn't look like armor that a knight might have worn. It almost looked like an android.

"Uh, Tony?" Steve asked hesitantly. "What's _that?_"

Tony grinned at his awe and confusion. Don't get Steve wrong. He loved Stark, but sometimes the guy could be a real pain in the butt. Especially when it came to sensitivity regarding his friends' emotions.

"I call it the Iron Man armor," Stark said proudly. "Although, technically it's a gold titanium alloy, but who would want to call it Gold Titanium Man? No way."

Steve ignored Tony's ramblings as he slowly circled the armor, taking in the silver paint job and the circular hole smack dab in the middle of the chestplate.

A glance at Stark's chest and then back at the armor explained it all. "Your ARC reactor's the power source?"

Tony shrugged. "I couldn't think of a better one. You wouldn't believe the amount of juice this thing has," he said, tapping his reactor for emphasis.

Steve didn't know all too much about science or mechanics or math or...really, academics in general, but even he was smart enough to figure out that that would drain the ARC reactor like his stamina during a hot football game.

"Won't that take away the power of the very thing keeping you alive?" he asked, trying not to let his concern show. He knew Stark hated it.

"Well, sure," Tony returned, way too casual for a guy who could easily die encased in armor. "But I've got a million ways for the armor to warn me before that happens."

"And if you ignore those warnings?" Steve challenged, knowing his friend all too well. The guy was exasperatingly stubborn.

"Please," Stark shot back. "For one thing, even I'm not that persistent. And for another, it probably won't happen anyway! I told you. There's plenty of power in this little circle of light."

"Keyword being 'probably,'" Steve returned. "I think this is too dangerous, Stark."

"Right, okay. I'll keep that in mind, _Mom_. In the meantime, I've spent weeks on this thing and I plan on testing it out."

Steve bit back another sharp retort, knowing it was pointless. Tony could go for days without running out of comebacks. But that didn't mean Steve didn't worry. He wouldn't admit it, but he'd lost too many of his friends back in the war and even more now that what was left of them had grown old and died. He couldn't bear to lose another.

But of course he didn't say that. He would never hear the end of it. How could he go from feeling sorry for Stark to being irked by him within the course of ten minutes?

So Steve could only watch as Tony donned the armor, a look like that of a child's on Christmas morning on his face.

_Maybe the armor won't be such a bad thing? Because I haven't seen Stark smile like that in...forever._

It reminded him of how Bucky used to look at him when Steve agreed to go along with one of his crazy schemes. (Like double-dating.)

"What do you think?" Tony asked, snapping Steve out of his reverie.

"You look like the Tin Man from the _Wizard of Oz,_" he answered truthfully, for that had been one of the movies he'd actually gotten to see.

Stark mock pouted. "Dang. I was going for a 1970s retro robot."

Steve was laughing before he could think about how the joke wasn't even that funny. At least it kept that smile on Tony's face.

They weren't laughing for long, however, for at that instant a loud roar echoed through the entire house, shaking the very foundation of the building.

Worried brown eyes met resolute blue ones as both Iron Man and Captain America ran off to battle.

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><p><strong>Looks like I'm reverting back to my shorter chapters. You guys don't mind, right? (And my apologies for the cliffhanger, but I live for those.)<strong>

**Here's to over 6,000 views and a few more than 50 follows! *lifts glass of reddish drink* Ha ha, just kidding. It's Kool-Aid. **


	13. Chapter 13

**You know, all this time I haven't stopped to think that I might have these guys OOC. I suppose that fear always grips a fanfiction writer sooner or later.**

**But without further ado, I bring you an action filled chapter.**

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><p>Bruce remembered being angry.<p>

He remembered a tickle on his nose and then shaving cream smeared on his face. He remembered Clint laughing. He remembered the crick in his neck already putting him in a bad mood. He remembered his vision turning green.

And that was the last thing Bruce remembered. Now all there was was the Hulk.

"Hulk smash puny Bird Man!" the beast roared, lumbering toward a wide-eyed Hawkeye.

"L-listen, Banner," Clint stammered, taking more than a few steps back. "I-I'm sorry. I thought...I thought it would be funny. It was a harmless prank. I didn't mean to-"

"Shut up, Bird Man!" Hulk growled, wishing he could bat away the boy's words as easily as his body.

"Banner!" Thor exclaimed, stepping in front of Clint with his hammer poised at the ready. "This is unnecessary. We are your friends!"

Hulk paused for a moment. But that didn't make any sense, did it? Hulk didn't have any friends. Everyone was afraid of Hulk.

_Banner._

That was the name they kept using. Bruce Banner. The thought made him glare at the two boys.

"Banner weak! Hulk is the strongest there is!" Hulk roared, taking one giant step forward. He swung one mighty hand, knocking Thor aside like a bug on a windshield. The god went flying through the wall. (And several walls after that.)

Clint visibly gulped, grabbing his bow and quiver from where they rested against the wall. With lightning quick reflexes, he'd nocked an arrow, letting it fly.

The shock that accompanied the electric pulse arrowhead only made Hulk angrier. What made Bird Man think he could hurt the Hulk?

Hulk raised a fist to crush Clint. That was when many things happened at once.

A bright circular object flew from the sidelines and into Barton's hands. A bright blast of energy ricocheted off the colorful shield, catching Hulk in the chest and knocking him back. A bolt of lightning struck him in the face, spinning him around from the force.

Hulk growled, all the assaults only making him angrier, and turned to face the group of four.

The shield was resting on Captain America's arm once more. Hawkeye had nocked another arrow. Thor was gripping his hammer that was still glowing blue from the previous lightning strike.

The only one that confused Hulk was the Tin Man hovering above the rest. Hulk couldn't remember seeing _him _before.

"Hulk, stand down!" Captain America ordered, hefting his shield.

Hulk didn't take orders, never had. He could only feel the haze of anger surrounding everything.

"Uh, Cap? Not sure that's working," Hawkeye spoke up nervously.

"Thor, Iron Man, hit him high. Hawkeye and I have him low."

Iron Man. So that was who the Tin Man was. Hulk wasn't worried about him. That tin looked like it would be easily crushed.

"Hulk smash!" the monster roared, moving forward to take out the leader.

But Captain America merely rolled out of the way. He was too fast, as was Hawkeye. That left Thor and Iron Man easy targets. They didn't look fast.

Arrows hit him from all directions as Hawkeye made a full circle around him. Hits from the shield bombarded him. But neither fazed him in the slightest. The only things that stung were the lightning and the energy blasts.

Hulk was wrong about the flying pests being slow. Iron Man zipped around his head. But Thor was a little slower than his airborne friend. Hulk decided to eliminate him first.

The beast reached out and plucked the god out of the air, making sure to keep Thor's arms pinned to his sides so he couldn't fight back.

"Banner!" Iron Man snapped, his voice tinny, robotic, and unrecognizable. "Put 'im down!"

Hulk looked from the Tin Man to Thor and back before doing as the android demanded. He put Thor down.

Right through three floors. The god was easy to throw around and he made great holes.

"Thor!" the other three heroes shouted in unison.

"Hawkeye, grappling hook arrow," Captain America bit out. "Go check on him."

Hawkeye nodded once, attaching the claw of the arrow to the ground and zipping down through the holes.

Hulk liked these odds. He could take down two enemies. They were only human. He watched Iron Man's flight patterns, trying to find the best time to reach out and grab him.

But Captain America was having none of it, still being a distraction with his shield.

"We need to calm him down!" the Captain called out.

"It's not possible!" Iron Man replied. "We've tried, remember? We just need to keep hitting him until he-"

Momentarily caught up in communicating with his leader, Iron Man didn't notice the Hulk reaching out to wrap him in an oversized green fist.

"Stark!" Captain America cried, worry and fear in his voice.

Hulk faltered for a moment. That name. _Stark. _It sounded familiar. But his anger at this annoying new foe didn't make him stop for long. He tightened his grip, feeling the silver armor crumple beneath his fingers.

The Iron Man gasped and Hulk knew his ribs were coming close to collapsing.

"Bruce!" he choked out. "Brucey, don't do this!"

His mask flipped open to reveal the man beneath the armor. There was some stubble along his jaw and his chocolate brown eyes bulged from lack of air, but there was still a pleading look in them.

Hulk paused again, confusion finally settling in with the anger. This boy...this boy was definitely familiar. And no one called Banner 'Brucey' except for...

_Tony!_

The Hulk's eyes widened, the green color slowly fading to brown, and he abruptly dropped Iron Man.

Feeling himself begin to shrink, Bruce curled into himself, trembling violently. He'd Hulked out. He'd hurt Thor. He...he'd nearly killed Tony! This couldn't be real. He had to be dreaming. No, not dreaming. His entire life was a living nightmare. He'd been doing so well, not turning into the Hulk. He'd been so careful!

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry," he whispered over and over again, shivering from the loss of a shirt.

"It is all right, Friend Banner," Thor murmured as softly as he could, draping a blanket around Bruce's shoulders. When had he gotten back up to this floor? Clint must have helped him.

As if in conformation, Barton waved from his perch on an overturned couch.

"Tony!" Bruce cried, looking around frantically. "Where's Tony?"

"Right here, Brucey," Tony managed, sounding breathless as he tried to pry the last piece of armor off his midriff.

"Nothing's broken," Steve reassured. "I checked."

"Yes, thank you, Mother," Tony replied, but he didn't really sound irked.

"I...I'm so _sorry,_ you guys," Bruce repeated, hugging his arms close to him in an attempt to comfort himself. "I didn't-"

"We know," Clint interrupted. "It's okay, Banner. We understand."

Bruce looked around for verification. Thor was smiling, Steve was nodding firmly, and Tony was cursing profusely as he tried to remove that 'last freaking piece of armor.' Bruce took that as a yes from his best friend as well.

Bruce shook his head. "I'm still sorry."

"No harm done." Clint shrugged. "Besides, I'm proud of you."

"You...you are?"

"Heck, yeah! If I had your problem I'd probably be the Hulk 24/7. You're one of the calmest people I know."

"He's right," Steve put in. "You handle the Other Guy expertly, Bruce."

Thor clapped a hand on his shoulder. "You are a strong warrior indeed, Banner."

"But you totaled my newest toy," Tony complained, holding up the now removed, wrinkled piece of armor.

Bruce cringed. "Sorry, Tony. That thing was amazing."

Tony shrugged. "No big. At least now I know I need to make the alloy stronger. Maybe if I use more of it..." he trailed off, muttering unintelligible equations to himself.

Bruce managed a small smile at that. His friends really did seem okay with him turning into the Hulk. He wasn't, of course, but at least they'd all made it out alive.

Bruce just hoped the same result could be said of the next time it happened.

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><p><strong>Yay, this one turned out longer!<strong>

**How do you even go about writing the Hulk, anyway? Meh, I did my best.**


	14. Chapter 14

**It's the weekend! FYI, my weekends are actually busier than weekdays for the most part, so I won't be updating three times a day.**

**But hey, happy weekend, everyone.**

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><p>Natasha knew asking was out of the question. The boys obviously didn't want to confide in her.<p>

It looked like she was going to have to figure out what was up with Steve the futuristic way. (Or the Stark way, if she wanted to be completely honest.)

She'd broken into Tony's locker early that morning. The school really should've invested in stronger padlocks. It hadn't taken her long to locate the item she needed.

An innocent looking hard drive that could hack into practically anything. She'd overheard him bragging about it to a confused Steve.

That was another thing. Whenever Stark talked about some high tech gadgets or even 21st century electronics, Rogers would stare at him as if he had no idea what he was talking about.

Natasha understood old-fashioned, but no one was _that _extreme.

She snagged a spot at a school computer and plugged the hard drive in, watching as the words _Access Granted _scrolled across the screen. She arched a delicate eyebrow at the amount of information the school's private server had.

The thing that caught her eye, however, was a document labeled _Avengers Initiative. _What the heck was that about?

Natasha clicked to open it, and files popped up rapidly. Six files, to be exact. Six _very familiar _files.

She frowned. Clicking on the first one listed.

_Name: Anthony Edward Stark_

_Age: 17_

_Special abilities: Genius IQ. Inventor. Hacker. Creating armor?_

_Additional info: ARC reactor in chest. Troubled past. Volatile and self obsessed._

_Recruitment for Avengers?: Not recommended_

Natasha cocked her head. This didn't make any sense. Maybe if she kept reading...

_Name: Clinton Francis Barton_

_Age: 17_

_Special abilities: Archer, perfect accuracy. Some combat skills._

_Additional info: Lives with older brother. Used to be in circus. Loyal._

_Recruitment for Avengers?: Recommended_

Okay, so was the Avengers some sort of team? And why would Clint be on it, but Stark wouldn't be?

_Name: Natalia Alianova Romanova "Natasha Romanoff"_

Natasha's eyes widened. They even knew her Russian name?

_Age: 16_

_Special abilities: Combat skills. _

_Additional info: Orphaned. Used to be part of Red Room Gang. Changed ways. Quiet and assertive._

_Recruitment for Avengers?: Recommended_

Natasha sat back, staring blankly at the screen. They...they knew about her past? And yet they still thought her worthy of these "Avengers."

But she needed to stay focused. She was here because of Steve.

_Name: Steven Grant Rogers_

_Age: 18_

_Special abilities: Enhanced skills from super soldier serum. Uses shield with deadly accuracy. Natural leader._

_Additional info: From 1940s. Fought in WWII. Crashed plane into ice. Frozen for 70 years. _

_Recruitment for Avengers?: Recommended_

Natasha reread the short and to the point sentences in additional info over and over again. 1940s. World War Two. Ice. Frozen for 70 years.

Steve...Steve wasn't even from this century! She tried to wrap her mind around it. She supposed it made sense, but...but that was crazy! No wonder he'd been acting so suspicious earlier.

Shaking her head, Natasha skimmed the last two files.

_Name: Robert Bruce Banner_

_Age: 16_

_Special abilities: Science genius. Morphs into enormous green monster when angry._

_Additional info: Tried to replicate Dr. Erskine's super soldier serum. Serum went wrong, transforming him into the Hulk. Smart, kind, and peacekeeper._

_Recruitment for Avengers?: Recommended_

_Name: Thor Odinson_

_Age: 18_

_Special abilities: Nearly invulnerable. Uses hammer to fly and summon lightning. _

_Additional info: A god from the realm of Asgard. Loyal and kind._

_Recruitment for Avengers?: Recommended_

Natasha nodded, smiling slightly to herself. Thor was a god. That made sense now. But there were three things that still stumped her. One, Steve's past. The file didn't tell her much. Two, how the heck did they know about her own past? And three, what were the Avengers supposed to be? Maybe some sort of superhero team? But that was stuff limited to books and movies. Not real life.

She glanced up at the top right corner of the screen, noticing the _Print _icon. Maybe she should show these to the boys. If anything, she wanted to confront Steve. If they were going to be friends she didn't want any secrets hidden from her.

_But what about your secrets?_

Natasha shook that thought out of her mind. She would cross that bridge when she came to it. For now, she was just going to print out the boys' files. She wasn't ready to reveal who she used to be and they didn't need to know that she was on here, too. Did they?

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><p><strong>I tried to keep their files short because who wants to read long, boring text about each of the Avengers?<strong>

**Reviews welcome! (No, seriously. Review.)**


	15. Chapter 15

**I was up late last night watching a football game (ha ha, what a coincidence), so if this chapter is a bit disjointed it's because my brain's not operating at full capacity. **

**Anyway, on with the show!**

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><p>Clint was completely amazed that he'd managed to get an 83 on his chemistry test. Maybe he'd retained more information than he'd realized. Whatever the case, he was glad he was able to go to Steve's game with the rest of his friends.<p>

He couldn't help but notice that Natasha was quiet. Well, quieter than usual. Whenever the Eagles made a touchdown, instead of leaping up with the rest of the crowd, she would keep her gaze fixed firmly on the field. Or more accurately, on Steve.

That made Clint jealous, but he tried not to think about it. Besides, he was the one 'accidentally' brushing her shoulder from time to time. Not Steve.

"Natasha?" he queried softly at halftime. "What's up?"

She looked over at him, almost surprised, as if she hadn't realized what she was doing. "Nothing. Why?"

"For your first NFA High game, you don't seem very excited."

She frowned, her delicate features marring slightly. "I guess I'm distracted."

"You want to talk about it?" Clint offered, doubting she'd agree.

To his surprise, she held his gaze for a long moment before saying, "I found something this morning when I hacked into the school's private server."

"You did _what?_" Clint squeaked, voice raising an octave.

"Keep your voice down," Natasha hissed, glancing over at the rest of the group. Fortunately, Stark was busy holding a finger to shush a silently laughing Banner as he held his drink over Thor's head to pour it over the god's blonde locks.

"Sorry," Clint whispered back, flushing in embarrassment. "But how did you even manage that?"

"Brains," she shot back testily. "That and I used one of Stark's gadgets."

Clint opened his mouth to protest that he didn't think of her as not smart enough to hack into a computer, but he decided against it. He doubted she wanted that. "But Tony doesn't let anyone touch his stuff. Not even Bruce."

Natasha smirked, a hint of mischief lighting in her eyes. "Who said I asked Stark for permission?"

"Wow. You _are _good." Clint nodded appreciatively.

She smiled, a genuine smile at that. "Thank you."

"So what did you find?"

She frowned, glancing around her again to make sure no one was listening. "I'll explain in full later, but I know about Steve."

Clint's eyes widened slightly as she gazed at him. "Natasha, that's...that's not good. Steve doesn't-"

"We're friends, right?" Natasha interrupted, her smile disappearing.

The question knocked him senseless for a moment. How could she think for a moment that they weren't friends. _Of course _they were!

His hesitation caused hurt to creep into her eyes. "Clint?"

"Of course!" he answered hastily, hating seeing her hurt. "Sorry, I just...I thought that was a given."

Natasha seemed to be reassured by that as she said, "I think I deserve to know about Rogers. Especially if we're all going to be friends. Don't you?"

Clint frowned, unsure of how to answer. On one hand, she had a point. But on the other hand, Steve had made it pretty clear that he never talked about his past to anyone. He rarely even talked to his closest friends about it.

"I don't know, Natasha," he answered truthfully. "That's really something to ask Steve about."

"Ask Steve about what?" Tony piped up finally, ignoring Thor's outrage at having to squeeze the brownish liquid out of his hair. "Relax, Goldilocks. Dr. Pepper comes out easy."

Natasha rolled her eyes, turning her attention back to the field as the players came out of the locker rooms after halftime.

"Natasha wants to know Steve's touchdown record," Clint answered, hoping that he'd watched Stark enough to pick up on lying skills.

That seemed to satisfy Tony because he, too, looked back down at the field.

Natasha shot Clint a grateful smile that warmed him right down to his toes and caused his heartbeat to accelerate. He was such a sucker for her. She could tell him to go soak his head and he would do it. Heck, she could tell him to sing in front of the whole school and he'd do it.

Plus, it made him feel better that she'd merely been watching Steve to study how the super soldier serum worked. Not to 'check him out' as Stark always did to the girls in French class.

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><p><strong>This one was shorter again. I'm hoping the next chapter turns out longer.<strong>

**I had to throw Clintasha in there. I've been shipping them like crazy lately. But thanks for reading and don't forget to review! (They definitely motivate me to update faster. *hint hint*)**


	16. Chapter 16

**I'm reiterating (I love that word. Don't judge.) that PoVs of the chapters won't be in any particular order anymore.**

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><p>Steve had had a pretty good day aside from the Hulk that morning. School seemed to fly by and they'd won the game. What could be better? He didn't think anything could bring his good mood crashing down.<p>

Until he and his friends gathered at the Shawarma Joint (Stark's idea) for supper, that is.

They'd snagged the table in the far corner. It was the only place in the small restaurant where you could actually get a bit of privacy. They'd all ordered and were enjoying the food in blissful silence until Natasha spoke up.

"So. World War Two, huh? What was that like?"

Steve immediately stiffened, nearly dropping his drink in astonishment. "I...what?"

Natasha casually picked at her food, her auburn curls hiding half of her face. The half that he could see had an expression that was unreadable. "You fought in the war, didn't you? You're enhanced with the super soldier serum that helped turn Banner into the Hulk?"

Steve cast a bewildered glance at Bruce who looked just as shocked as he did. (And quite possibly a little upset.)

In fact, the only other person that didn't look surprised by the sudden confrontation was Barton. He was trying not to meet anyone's eyes, in fact.

"You knew about this?" Steve demanded of Clint.

"Look, man, I was just informed of her discovery during the game," Clint defended himself, holding up his hands as if to ward off an attack. "Take it up with the Black Widow."

Natasha arched a perfectly groomed eyebrow. "Black Widow?" she asked, momentarily distracted.

Clint blushed. "You're...uh...I thought it seemed fitting with...um...how you...you know...lure guys into a false sense of security and then you pounce?"

Thor nodded thoughtfully, being the only one who hadn't abandoned his meal. "The name suits you, Lady Natasha."

Natasha shook her head, turning her gaze back to Steve. "I know it was prying, but I didn't want to start our friendship off with a pack of lies."

"I never lied to you, Natasha," Steve protested quietly.

"Maybe not," she said slowly, "but you would have eventually. I simply hurried things along."

"Be that as it may, you shouldn't have snooped," he went on, not bothering to hide the disapproval in his expression and voice. "I would have told you in my own time."

"Would you?" she shot back, raising her other eyebrow. "Is that what you believe, Rogers?"

Steve gestured to the rest of the group with one arm. "I told them."

Natasha pursed her lips. "Fair enough. I guess I'm sorry."

"You guess?" Tony spoke up finally. Steve was now realizing that he'd been awfully quiet. "What about me? Shouldn't you be apologizing to me, too?"

"Um..." Bruce titled his head in confusion. "Why would she do that?"

"Because I'd bet the clothes I'm wearing that she stole my latest invention in order to use it to hack into the school to examine Steve's files."

Natasha smiled wryly. "You sure you want to go there, Stark?"

Tony winked, grinning flirtatiously. "Bring it on."

Of course, Clint shoved him hard enough to knock him out of his chair afterwards.

"But there's something I don't understand," Natasha continued after watching Thor lift a flustered Stark off the floor. "If you were so great, why aren't you in any history books?"

Bruce half raised one hand while using the other to shove his glasses back up his nose. "I can answer that. The military didn't want an incident like...well...the Hulk happening because someone wanted to recreate the serum. So, they insisted that the story of Captain America not be revealed to the public."

Natasha glanced at Steve. "Captain America? Really?"

Steve felt heat creep into his cheeks. "I used to be an actor by that name. It kind of stuck."

"An actor?"

"They could not let the good Captain's stunning looks go to waste," Thor broke in. He looked confused when everyone started laughing. Well, everyone except Steve who merely felt more heat redden his face.

"But you said something about 'explaining in full' at the game," Clint said after they'd regained their composure. "What did you mean by that?"

Natasha held up a finger as she dug through the messenger bag slung over her chair. A moment later, she placed a bundle of papers on the table. "I found these."

Tony snatched them up first, his eyes darting back and forth as he read. "The Avengers Initiative? What's that?"

Clint managed to grab a few papers, ignoring Stark's protests. "They know about all our pasts?"

"They have discovered that I come from Asgard," Thor mused, frowning. "But I have not confided that knowledge in anyone but you, my friends."

Steve waited patiently until he could reach in to examine the papers for himself. _They know all about me. Who **runs **this school?_

"At least we're all recommended," Bruce piped up, smiling nervously. "Whatever that means."

"Really?" Stark frowned more severely than Thor. "Because it says here that I'm _not _recommended."

"What?" Steve leaned over his shoulder, locating the 'recruitment for Avengers' section. Sure enough, it read 'not recommended'. "Why?"

The look on Tony's face was similar to that of a kid's who's puppy had just died. "Apparently, I'm volatile, self-obsessed, and have too much of a troubled past."

Natasha crossed her arms, leaning back in her chair. "No offense, Stark, but whoever created your file kind of had a point."

Steve noticed Clint trying to shush her even as Tony glared daggers in her direction. "Thanks, Romanoff, I really needed that right now," he shot back bitterly.

"Tony, it's okay," Bruce soothed in a calming voice. "She didn't mean it. Did you, Natasha?"

Natasha looked from Tony to Bruce and back before nodding slowly. "Right. Sorry, Stark," she said in an expressionless tone.

Tony muttered something about 'no respect' under his breath even as he continued to study the paper with his name on it.

"So what are we going to do about this, Cap?" Clint asked, his gaze uncharacteristically uncertain.

Steve frowned. Sometimes being the unspoken leader of the group could be a heavier burden than his haunting past. "Try not to worry about it," he suggested. "If the school wants us for this 'Avengers Initiative' then they'll let us know."

His friends nodded, each and every one holding some form of doubt.

Steve sighed. So much for his good mood.

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><p><strong>This one did end up being longer. Yay me! <strong>

**But I hope you enjoyed!**


	17. Chapter 17

**I almost hit a car with my car's right side mirror yesterday. In hindsight, what I should've done was stick my head out the window yelling, "I do what I want!" But I digress. You want more story, don't you? **

**Oh, and I don't own Phil Coulson or Pepper Potts.**

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><p>Thor was used to being confused. But this was different. This was all out bewilderment. This...Avengers Initiative...It didn't make sense. So Thor, for once not heeding Captain America's advice, went to one of the wisest people he knew.<p>

"Principal Coulson will see you now, Mr. Odinson," the young girl with ginger-red hair, cerulean blue eyes, and a handful of freckles sprinkled across her face said. She was the new assistant secretary. The current one had decided that she needed a young protégé to help keep track of the school's finances and students.

"Thank you, Lady Virginia," Thor returned, bowing elegantly.

The girl flushed slightly at the formality, offering a hesitant smile. "You're welcome."

Thor nodded once as he brushed past her and into the principal's office. "Son of Coul, I must speak to you!"

Phil Coulson, a balding, middle-aged man with kind blue eyes that wrinkled around the edges, looked up from his paperwork. "Is something wrong, Thor?"

"Verily," Thor returned, sitting in the chair opposite the desk. "My friends and I have discovered something most bemusing."

"And what would that be?"

"A notion called the Avengers Initiative. Have you heard of it?"

Coulson frowned in the slightest, setting his papers down. "How do you know about that?"

"The Black Widow stumbled across this knowledge when she was searching for Steven Rogers' documents."

"The...who?"

"Lady Natasha Romanoff."

"Black Widow," Coulson mused. "It suits her. But in order for her to know about the Initiative, she would have had to hack into the school's private server."

Thor nodded solemnly. "That is indeed what she did."

He noticed a look of disapproval and uncertainty flash across Coulson's face before his expression returned to normal. It all happened within a matter of seconds.

"And now the lot of you want to know what it's about, correct?"

Thor paused for a moment, head tilted. Was this similar to the likes of Loki? In other words, was it a trick question? "Yes, we are rather curious."

Coulson sighed, resting his hands on top of one another and leaning slightly onto his desk, elbows laying on the edge of it. "I'm not sure I'm at the liberty to tell you."

Thor frowned. "I do not understand. Were you not the one who created the files in the first place?"

"Well...yes. But I wasn't the one who came up with the Initiative."

"Then might I ask who did?"

"Thor..." Coulson started, smiling in the way he had that didn't really reach his eyes. It was like he was smiling for the sake of trying to calm others and nothing more. "What do you think?"

Thor thought about that. If the son of Coul was not allowed to tell him what the Avengers Initiative was, then it was doubtful that he could reveal who came up with it. "No, I suppose I cannot."

"When it comes into effect, you and the rest of your friends will know. Trust me," Coulson returned sincerely.

Thor was silent for a few seconds before asking, "Would you do me a good deed?"

"That depends."

"Do not tell the Captain that I came to visit you today. He told us not to dwell on the Initiative," Thor said, a tad sheepish.

"I think I can handle that. Now, off you go." Coulson shooed him out of the room with one hand, but he was still smiling slightly.

Thor obeyed, taking large strides out the door and back to the front office.

"Everything okay?" Virginia Potts spoke up as she caught sight of him.

He smiled kindly. "Everything is fine. I appreciate your concern."

Just as he was about to exit the room, her light voice stopped him again.

"Wait! How's Tony?"

Thor paused, turning back around to face the delicate girl behind him. "Might I inquire how you know Friend Stark?"

Virginia sighed, a sad smile on her face. "We were friends from preschool all the way up through middle school. We were practically inseparable. You...he really hasn't mentioned me?"

Thor frowned. This Virginia Potts girl seemed to have a good heart. He wished that Stark had told him about her. "I'm afraid not. But I cannot possibly imagine why."

"That's sweet of you to say. I'm sorry for stopping you. You can go now." She waved a hand, turning back to her computer.

"Why are you no longer friends?" Thor pressed, not understanding what could have caused them to part ways.

"Oh..." Virginia sighed again. "I don't know. We hit high school. He got new friends. _I _got new friends. I guess being best friends with a girl, and vise versa, got too awkward."

"If it is any consolation, I would not have left you, Miss Potts," Thor said sincerely.

She smiled at him, but it still held a hint of sadness. "Thank you, Mr. Odinson. But I suggest you get back to class. You don't want to be late."

He nodded. "It was an honor meeting you."

"Same to you."

Thor turned around once more and strode back out into the hall, into the swarm of students getting ready for school. His mind spun with the events that had just occurred.

The Avengers Initiative was a dead end, unfortunately. Thor knew he was most likely getting nowhere with that.

But Virginia Potts still troubled him. He could not comprehend what could have compelled Stark to abandon her as he did. An excuse like that of being friends with a girl being considered 'awkward' simply wasn't good enough for Thor.

He resolved to confront Tony about it the first chance he got.

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><p><strong>Ugh, Phil is a hard character to write. <strong>

**Just to give you guys a heads up, I haven't been feeling too hot recently, so updates might slow down a bit.**


	18. Chapter 18

**I just want to take a moment and say that all your reviews mean a lot to me. There's nothing like positive feedback to make someone feel good about themselves. (Also, thanks so much to those of you who said I write Thor well. You don't know how much that eased my conscience.)**

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><p>Virginia Potts. Pepper, as he knew her best.<p>

Tony hadn't heard that name in a _long _time. Sure, he'd seen her at school from a distance, but he'd never engaged. No, he had to be satisfied with seeing her from afar, a lump of pain and loss growing so large in his chest that it made it hard for him to breathe sometimes.

He loved her. He loved her so freaking much. He wanted nothing more than to hold her in his arms, cradle her head to his chest, and whisper sweet nothings in her ear.

But he couldn't. Not when she deserved someone that could offer her so much more than he could.

"Stark? Are you listening?"

Tony shook his head to clear it at Thor's sharp query, raising his eyes to meet the blonde's disappointed ones. "Yeah. So Pepper works for the school's secretary now?"

"That was not the point of my story."

Tony sighed. Of course it wasn't. By the look on Thor's face, the god was wondering why Tony had ditched Pepper at the start of high school. "What do you want to know, Thor? We went our separate ways. What's done is done."

"No." Thor shook his head. "No, I believe there is more to your tale than what you are implying."

Tony sighed again, running a hand through his disheveled hair, feeling the slickness of it. Was that...grease? He'd clean it out later. "Listen, pal, I don't really want to go into what happened between us. I'd like to keep those memories buried, if you don't mind."

"Oh, so I'm just buried memories now? Is that all I ever was to you?"

Tony stiffened. He'd recognize that brave but uncertain voice anywhere. "Pepper..." he started, turning around to face her.

"Don't '_Pepper' _me," she snapped, her cerulean blue eyes icy from anger. "What did I ever do to you, Tony? I thought I was your friend!"

"Look, I really should..." Tony began nervously, pointing down the hall in an attempt to leave. Only Pepper could get him flustered like this.

"Don't you dare turn your back on me, Anthony Edward Stark! I have your attention and I am _not _letting you go until I get some answers."

He glanced behind him to find that Thor had disappeared. "Great. Thanks for the backup, Point Break," he muttered to himself.

"See? That's exactly what I mean!" Pepper said, gesturing to where Thor had just been standing. "You left me for them. Why? I _needed _you, Tony. This is high school. I was _terrified._ But I thought I would be fine with Tony Stark by my side. Only, I found that you didn't show up to walk me to our first day at our new school. And by the time I got here, you'd already made some other friends. _Why?_ What did I ever do to you?"

The repeated final question caused Tony to cringe. She'd done nothing. Absolutely _nothing._ It was all his fault. And up close, he could truly see her slipping through his fingers like grains of sand.

"Why aren't you answering me?" Pepper asked, doubt creeping into her eyes. "Tony, if you never want to see me again I-"

"No!" Tony exclaimed suddenly, the thought causing his heart to drop to his toes. "_God, _no. Pep, that's not what I want at all!"

She crossed her arms, tapping her foot impatiently. "Then what is it you want? Enlighten me."

Tony paused, thinking his answer through carefully. One small misstep and he'd lose her forever. He wouldn't-no, he _couldn't _afford that.

"The truth is...I miss you, Pep."

Her gaze seemed to soften if only slightly. "Then why did you leave me?"

"Because...because I..." Tony inwardly cursed. Put him in front of any other girl on the planet and he'd be talking for days. But put him with Pepper and somehow his tongue got all twisted and he couldn't force any words out. "You remember the time my house burned down? And I rushed back into the fire to save you?"

Pepper arched an eyebrow. "If I remember correctly, _I _was the one that saved _you._"

He managed a soft chuckle at that. "See, that's exactly what I mean," he said, quoting her from earlier. "You're smart, courageous, and...and _beautiful._"

She remained silent, her gaze fixed firmly on him. At least she wasn't walking away. Yet.

"We've known each other since we were four," he continued, "but I've been in love with you since we were ten."

"Tony..."

"No, let me finish. If I don't get this out now, it'll never come." Tony took a deep breath. "That very day when you got me out of the burning building was the day I realized that you are the most perfect girl I have ever met. I couldn't bear to lose you. And for a while...for a while I let myself believe that maybe one day we...we could be together.

"It wasn't until the summer in Afghanistan that the truth hit me. The truth being me and you...It's impossible."

"Tony, I didn't..." Pepper tried to interrupt, unshed tears shining in her eyes.

He held up a hand. "I'm not done yet. After spending three months in a cave and coming back to find you..._crying _over me I came to terms with the fact that I couldn't put you through that ever again. My life...I won't lie to you. It's a wreck. My father's abusive, my mother's powerless to stop him, and I'm a volatile, self-obsessed jerk who barely remembers to tie his own shoes in the morning.

"Every day is one train wreck after the other and you don't deserve to be with a guy who can't take care of himself, let alone you. It's _because _I love you that I abandoned you, Pep. You have to understand that."

Pepper was quiet for a long moment before hesitantly reaching up to fondle his tangled, shaggy hair. "But don't you see?" she began, voice soft. "That's all I've been wanting to do since I met you, Tony. Take care of you. I would've willingly done so. I would _still _do so. You can't expect to hold us both up all the time. Friends keep _each other _going."

Tony's eyes searched hers, wondering if this was all a dream and he would wake up at any second. "But you need someone who cares about you more than he does about himself."

In reality, he was still stinging from not being recommended for the Avengers Initiative due to his self-absorbed nature. The file had made him realize that maybe he _was_ everything it had said.

"Do you really believe that, Tony?" Pepper asked, her voice nearly a whisper. "Do you really think you're more focused on yourself than me?"

Standing there with her, thinking about all he'd just said and every agony filled day of high school without her, it became clear that he didn't truly believe it. Not in the slightest.

"No," he answered finally, a smile slowly making its way across his face. "Heck, you're the _only_ thing on my mind right now."

Pepper smiled in return, stepping forward to wrap her arms around his waist and lean her head against his shoulder. "And you're the only thing on mine."

Tony held her close, that ever present weight on his chest lifting. It was almost too good to be true. He had his Pepper back.

And he was _never _letting her go again.

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><p><strong>There's nothing like a slice of Pepperony to quell your appetite for feels. *ba dum crash*<strong>

**Anyway, I had to have this chapter. These guys are my OTP for Marvel. **


	19. Chapter 19

**First of all, have y'all seen the Age of Ultron trailer? It's the most beautiful thing I've ever seen.**

**Second, I'm sorry for not updating sooner, but I've been working on other projects. Check out _You Might Not Be A Threat? _and _The Avengers' Greatest Pranks _if you're curious.**

**But you guys don't want to listen to me drone on and on. You want more story. Wish granted!**

**Oh, and I don't own Loki. Marvel does.**

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><p>Bruce didn't know what to think about the new guy with the raven black hair and icy blue eyes. All the girls seemed to love him, and why wouldn't they? The guy was <em>hot<em>. But Bruce didn't trust him. He didn't know if it was the cocky smirk or the cool demeanor, but something about the guy ticked him off (and people didn't like it when Bruce was ticked off).

To his surprise, however, Thor was delighted to see the aforementioned new guy.

"Brother!" the god cried upon seeing the unfamiliar boy, promptly striding up to him. "You have decided to come to Midgard after all!"

The boy cringed. "Please, Thor, lower your voice. You're acting like I wasn't planning on coming here."

Thor frowned. "I believe your exact words were, 'I would not grace Midgard with my presence in a million years.'"

"Look at you going through a spurt of brain growth," the black haired boy said, tapping Thor's forehead. "Good for you."

Okay, Bruce officially despised this guy. No one mocked one of his friends and got away with it. Even if that person was Thor's brother.

"You must be Loki," Bruce said, making his way over and forcing a smile that hurt his cheeks.

Loki turned to study him, his expression impossible to read. "Yes. And you are?"

"Bruce Banner," Bruce introduced himself, holding out a hand. "Pleased to meet you."

"Don't lie, Bruce Banner," Loki chided. "It isn't befitting of you."

Bruce tried not to roll his eyes at the comment even as he noticed that the other boy's hand was cold as he shook it. That was peculiar. People's hands usually got cold when they were nervous, but Loki didn't seem anxious in the slightest.

"Brother, you must meet the rest of my friends," Thor insisted, still looking happy at the arrival of Loki. (Bruce couldn't imagine why. The guy seemed like a jerk.)

Loki sighed, the origin of it one of pure tolerance. "Fine. But at this rate, I don't imagine I'll like them very much."

Bruce squeezed his hands into fists, the muscles in his biceps flexing. He wanted nothing more than to sock this guy in the jaw. But was that what he desired, or what the Hulk wanted?

After a moment of contemplation he thought, _Definitely both._

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><p>It didn't take long for Thor to track down the rest of the group. Bruce couldn't help but notice that none of them looked too pleased with the newcomer. In fact, if Loki hadn't been Thor's brother, they probably would have ditched him by now.<p>

"So, you're the brother that Thor's always talking about," Clint said. He stood off to the side with Natasha, both of them looking nonchalant, though Clint obviously wanted to punch Loki while Natasha was coolly indifferent. She was impossible to read.

"He doesn't look like much," Tony spoke up, casting his gaze up and down Loki's form. He was immediately elbowed by Pepper. (Bruce was secretly pleased that the two had gotten back together.)

"Funny," Loki returned, studying his fingernails. "I was thinking the same about you, Anthony."

"Don't call me that," Tony returned bitterly.

"Why not?" the god asked, tilting his head. "Does it remind you too much of your dear old daddy?"

Pepper was unable to hold Tony back as he lunged toward Loki. Fortunately, Steve was nearby to grab the smaller boy by the shoulders and drag him back, whispering a few words in his ear that, thankfully, calmed Tony down.

"Oh, my," Loki commented, not ruffled in the slightest. "It seems you have some unstable friends, brother."

Thor wasn't pleased with how everything was turning out. That was evident to Bruce in the way that his friend was frowning.

"Maybe they would not dislike you if you were kind, Loki."

"Me?" Loki's eyebrows shot up as he pointed to himself. "I was merely establishing boundaries. They insult me, I insult them. It's as simple as that."

"How about this?" Natasha interjected finally, her posture relaxed. But her tone was cold. "You insult them, I make you wish you were back in Asgard."

"I'm immortal, Miss Romanoff," Loki replied without concern. Did nothing worry him? "You'd find it hard to hurt me."

"I'm sure I could figure something out."

"No one's hurting anyone," Steve interrupted, voice stern and commanding. "Look, Loki, if you don't want to be friends with us, fine. But if you expect us to respect you, you need to show us a little respect as well."

Surprisingly, Loki pondered this for a good few seconds. "So be it. I'll try this...respect going two ways thing."

Steve nodded, apparently satisfied with that answer. "Good."

Bruce watched the exchange, his dread growing. After the conversation returned to normal (that is, everyone talking in an almost friendly way), he pulled Steve aside.

"Are you sure this is a good idea? Letting Loki hang out with us, I mean."

Steve studied him for a moment. "You really don't like him, do you?"

Bruce shrugged uneasily, shooting a glance back at the group. But Loki seemed to be getting along astonishingly fine considering how he'd riled everyone up not two minutes ago.

"There's something about him, Steve. I don't know what it is, but I don't like it."

"Are you sure you're not just frustrated because he hurt your best friend?"

"This isn't about Tony. I feel like something darker is afoot here."

Steve glanced from Bruce, to Loki, and back. "All right. I'll keep an eye on him."

Bruce let out a relieved sigh. "Great. Thank you."

"No problem." With that, Steve left Bruce alone to return to the group.

Bruce continued to examine Loki from a distance, watching the way he laughed (it was more of a chuckle), the way he interacted with the others (his rude exterior had suddenly softened a tad), and the way he smiled.

That was it. His smile. It was one he'd seen on Clint and Tony so many times before. It was completely mischievous. But with Loki, it wasn't a playful deviousness. It almost looked...evil.

Maybe Steve had promised to watch Loki, but Bruce decided he'd do the same. Just in case.

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><p><strong>There you go! I've successfully (I think) thrown Loki into the mix. (I hope I didn't have him OOC...)<strong>

**Don't be shy. Let me know what you think! I won't bite (probably).**


	20. Chapter 20

**This story has 70 followers, 41 favorites, 66 reviews, and nearly 12,000 views! In celebration and thanks, I'm updating again. :D**

**In reponse to PLL and Victorious RULE'S review, I'm putting up a Clintasha chapter. (Okay, mostly Clint, but Tasha's in there, too, I swear.)**

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><p>Clint couldn't get her out of his mind. He didn't know what it was, but whenever he paused to think about anything other than school, his mind immediately leapt to Natasha. Maybe it was because he felt like they'd connected that afternoon on the football field. After all, she'd told <em>him <em>about her findings on Steve, not Stark or Thor or Banner. But then again, maybe he was having delusions of grandeur and the only reason she'd shared with him was because he happened to be the one sitting next to her.

Whatever the case, he was falling head over heels for her. Literally. Earlier that day, she'd come into homeroom and he'd tripped in his hurry to greet her. She'd laughed at him, but he was okay with it. He loved her laugh. It was like a cool summer breeze, rare but wonderful.

All these thoughts ran through Clint's mind as he sat in the cafeteria with the guys. Unfortunately, they were Natasha-less. She had gym during their lunch period.

"Earth to Hawkeye! You in there, pal?"

Clint snapped out of his reverie about Natasha to find a hand waving up and down right in front of his face. "I'm fine," he said shortly, pushing Stark's arm away.

"You sure?" Banner spoke up, his warm brown eyes holding a concerned look in them. "You zoned out again."

"That's the third time today," Steve supplied, always the one with a memory like a steel trap.

Clint rolled his eyes at their comments. It wasn't like he could tell them what he was thinking. Not without getting pestered about it. "I've got a lot on my mind, okay?"

"Oh, yes," Loki said. Where had he come from? He couldn't have appeared out of thin air, right? "I'd say you have a lot of red and green on your mind. Don't you think, Clinton?"

Red and green. Natasha's flowing, curly auburn hair. Her emerald green eyes that he wanted nothing more than to get lost in...Wait, had Loki called him Clinton?

"Red and green?" Thor asked, confused. "Similar to the colors of your Midgardian holiday? Christmas, is it?"

"But Christmas isn't for another two months," Steve answered, just as confused.

Clint wanted to melt into an embarrassed puddle right about now. Amazingly, though, his saving grace came from an unexpected place.

"Barton likes to get his Christmas shopping done early," Tony piped up, sounding completely truthful. "It's better to do it now while no one's planning that far ahead. Right, Clint?"

Clint shot him a grateful look before nodding. "Totally. I hate the Christmas crowds."

Tony winked at him and Clint suddenly understood. The guy had tons of experience with girls. And since he'd recently gotten back together with Pepper, he was probably softening a bit as well. (Not that Stark would admit it.)

The other boys (save Loki) seemed to find the explanation acceptable because they all nodded, dropping the subject as fast as Loki had brought it up.

Speaking of Loki, the god didn't look satisfied with being unable to ruffle Clint's feathers (no pun intended). Thor's brother was as mischievous as Clint was, if not more so.

Clint might have been unsettled by the revelation, but his thoughts were already slipping back to Natasha and how he was going to ask her to the Fall Formal. Speaking of which...

"So," Tony started, grinning slyly. "Who's got a date to the dance?"

"Oh," Bruce said nervously, fiddling with his glasses. "I...I'm not going. I'll probably get punch spilled on me and turn into the Hulk."

Stark opened his mouth to protest, but Cap stopped him by saying, "Banner and I have plans to study that night. I really need help in my science classes."

Bruce's anxious demeanor vanished to be replaced with an enthusiastic smile. "Exactly! Steve doesn't have a date either, so we figured we'd make the most of it."

"Well, _I'm _going with Pepper," Tony said with a firm nod. "She didn't even have to think about her answer before agreeing."

"I could go with any mortal girl in this school," Loki interrupted with an indifferent shrug. "But I don't see the point. I'm sure I'll spend that night reading a good book."

"A book?" Clint scoffed, barely restraining a mocking, _"Nerd!"_

"Yes. Believe it or not, Clinton, but some of us enjoy reading."

There it was. Loki had called him Clinton again. It had him wanting to punch the guy.

"What about you, Thor?" Stark asked before Clint could follow through on his violent urgings. "Have you hooked up with anyone yet?"

"I do not know about 'hooked up,' but I have had my eye on a mortal for a while now," Thor admitted, almost sheepish.

"Who?" everyone but Loki (who looked disgusted) asked in unison.

"I have heard most Midgardians enjoy secrets," the god of thunder answered. "I shall keep this one."

Everyone groaned except for Loki (who looked just as disgusted as before if not more so).

Thankfully, the others seemed to have forgotten that Clint hadn't answered the date question yet. That wasn't exactly something he wanted to answer.

But _of course _as soon as he thought he was in the clear, Loki had to ruin it. "And you, Barton? Who are you asking to this..._Fall Formal_?"

Clint stared at him, picturing how great he'd look with an arrow in his eye socket. But he couldn't back down. The others were looking at him expectantly (except for Tony who glanced at him with disguised pity).

_It's now or never, Hawkeye. _"Actually, I thought I'd ask Natasha to go with me."

Loki smirked, Tony grinned, Steve blinked in surprise, Bruce nodded as if he'd seen this coming, and Thor dropped his fork in ecstasy.

"This is most glorious news, Friend Clint!" he boomed, causing all eyes in the cafeteria to turn to him.

"Thor, be quiet!" Clint shushed him, lowering his voice. "I'd rather the whole school not know, thank you."

Thor nodded, whispering as best he could (which came out as more of a stage whisper). "My apologies."

"Hey, fellas," Natasha said from where she'd suddenly appeared (seriously, first it was Loki, and now her?) as if her name being mentioned had summoned her. "Should I be concerned about the entire lunchroom staring at this table?"

"Friend Clint wishes to ask you something!" Thor blurted, not answering the question. His declaration earned an elbow in each of his sides, one from Steve and one from Bruce.

Natasha arched a delicate eyebrow, turning to face Clint. "Oh? And what would that be?"

Clint had a hard time focusing. He was too busy noticing that she smelled really nice (like lavender), having taken a shower after gym.

"Clint?"

He shook his head to clear it, getting to his feet to stand in front of her. In a sudden burst of boldness (maybe it came from Loki's doubting Thomas face as if he didn't believe he could do it), Clint asked, "Would you be my date to the Fall Formal this Friday?"

To his great surprise and delight, Natasha immediately answered, "Sure."

"Really?"

"Why not?" she asked, smiling by now. "It'll be fun."

Clint smiled back as his friends' clapping started. Yeah, it drew the attention back to them, but he didn't care this time. He was too busy reveling in the fact that Natasha had accepted his invitation. She'd said _yes! _

Friday couldn't come fast enough.

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><p><strong>Thanks again to all of you outstanding readers and keep those reviews coming!<strong>


	21. Chapter 21

**It's been a while since I updated, hasn't it? As I said on my Young Justice fic _Guardian Bat_, I've started writing for OYAN, so my writing schedule has consisted primarily of that. But let's face it. I've just been lazy. :P **

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><p>Tony had learned early on in his life that he wasn't enough.<p>

He wasn't smart enough for his father. He wasn't around enough for his mother (which was ironic because his parents were never around, either). He wasn't Howling Commando enough for Steve. He wasn't Asgardian enough for Thor. He wasn't athletic enough for Clint. He just _wasn't enough._ The only one who accepted him for who he was was Bruce. But that really wasn't much of an accomplishment. Bruce accepted _everyone._

Okay, so maybe he wasn't being fair. They were his friends. They didn't mean to look at him with annoyance at times. They didn't mean to tell him to shut up half a dozen times per day. He supposed he was thinking these things because of the fight he'd had with Howard an hour ago.

The Starks fighting wasn't old news. In fact, at times when a neighbor passed by their house, that person knocked on the door to ask if everything was all right because they heard screaming. Maria tried to break up the two males, but she generally got shoved aside like she was some species of insect.

But there was something about this last argument that really pushed Tony over the edge. That was why he found himself down in his shop, shoving blueprints off of tables and throwing pieces of armor against the walls.

"Idiot!" he hissed to himself, grabbing a stray blueprint off the floor and ripping it in half.

Tony snatched up the faceplate of his armor, preparing to hurl it across the room, but he stopped. He examined the piece for a moment before dropping it, hearing it clatter to the floor. Sliding to his knees, he ran his hands through his hair, trying to pretend the fight had never happened. Trying to pretend those words were never said.

"Tony?" a soft voice queried, accompanied with the sound of high heels clicking.

Before Tony could leap up to insist he was fine, he felt slim arms wrap around his shoulders and a delicate hand run through his hair.

"That's right," he said weakly, crumbling beneath the gentleness of Pepper's touch. "It's Friday, isn't it?"

She nodded, and if Tony had been more like himself, he would have commented on how gorgeous she looked. "It is. But the dance can wait. What's wrong?"

"Nothing," he insisted, shrugging her off and getting to his feet. "I'm fine."

Pepper arched an eyebrow. "Oh, really. Then what's with the ripped blueprints and armor all over the room?" she asked, gesturing with one hand at the wreckage.

Tony opened his mouth to retort with something about needing to Hulk out for a minute. Everyone needed to Hulk out every once in a while. But he found himself rambling about his fight with Howard instead. Pepper had always been able to get him to talk.

"Dad and I got into an argument. _Again. _I don't know how it happened exactly, but everything spiraled out of control. I showed him my newest suit of armor and he-" Tony broke off, clearing his throat as his voice cracked.

Pepper coming over and holding his hand helped him continue. "He told me that I was nothing without the armor. He asked me what I would be if I took if off. Of course, I answered with all my usual cockiness."

"Genius, billionaire, playboy, philanthropist," Pepper said at the same time as Tony, smiling. "You would always describe yourself like that when we were kids."

Tony nodded, wishing he could smile. "Yeah. But he...he said he knew men with none of that worth way more than me. He told me that I wasn't the guy to lay down on the wire."

"Tony..."

"No, let me finish. He...he said that I wasn't a threat to anyone because I was worthless. But he also said that just because I had the Iron Man armor? That doesn't make me a hero."

Pepper grabbed his other hand as well, squeezing both of them firmly. "Tony, you _know _none of that is true. You were your wonderful, Tony Stark self long before you became Iron Man."

"But he was right," Tony said, hating the desperation lacing his voice. "I'm barely even a threat. Heck, I'm not a hero. That's exactly why I wasn't chosen for the Avengers Initiative."

"You want to know why I think you weren't on that list?" Pepper asked, having had Tony explain the whole 'Avengers Initiative' notion to her earlier that week.

"I don't know. Do I want to know?"

"They're scared of you."

Tony's eyebrows knit together in a frown. "Why would you say that? I'm nothing but a sack of bones," he said, waving his thin arms around.

"They're scared of what you can do," Pepper explained, putting as much feeling into her words as possible. "You're probably the smartest person they know, and you're only _seventeen. _They're afraid that if they let you into this Initiative, you'll dominate. You'll do so well they won't know what to do with you."

"You think? I thought it was because of my volatile attitude."

"Sure, that might be part of it. But if your demeanor is the only reason keeping you off, I'd be very surprised."

Tony was silent for a few moments before letting his trademark smirk show. "I'd shatter their sense of security."

"_Exactly._" Pepper nodded, smiling in return. "You really are a genius, Tony. And I love you for it."

He grinned. "And I love you for your bluntness. You ready to head to the dance?"

She laughed, a sound that reminded Tony of bells being rung by a summer breeze. "_I _am. But I think _you _should clean up first."

He looked down, finally noticing the oil on his t-shirt and jeans. "Right. I'll shower, put on a tux, and we'll go. Sound good?"

She smiled, reaching up to kiss him on the cheek. "Sounds genius."

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><p><strong>I know it's not super long, but I needed this chapter to establish a certain element that will come into play later. I bet you can tell what that element is. ;D<strong>


	22. Chapter 22

Steve wouldn't call himself a germaphobe. He'd spent months in a dusty camp back in World War II, after all. No, he just liked having things clean and pristine. (Like him, Stark would say.) Besides, he was having a guest over. If that wasn't a reason to keep the place in tiptop shape, he didn't know what was.

That's why he wasn't surprised when he answered the door for Bruce, noticing the younger boy instantly taking in the sights of his orderly apartment.

"Too much?" Steve asked, stepping aside to let him in and closing the door behind him.

"No." Bruce shook his head, smiling slightly. "It reminds me of how I keep my lab at school."

Without a moment's hesitation, he set his backpack down on the table in the small living area. "Shall we get started?"

"I was going to ask if you wanted something to eat or drink first," Steve admitted with something of a sheepish smile.

Bruce chuckled, shaking his head. "Come on. Science isn't that bad."

"Except for the fact that it doesn't make much sense. The only reason I get by is because of my photographic memory."

"That's why I don't understand why you're asking me for help."

"Because a photographic memory doesn't do anything for performing experiments," Steve pointed out, kneeling next to the table. "I always manage to measure wrong and send gunk flying everywhere."

Bruce nodded, digging some materials out of his bag. "I know. Tony's your lab partner, remember?"

Steve cringed at that. "How can I forget? At least he seems to find it all amusing."

Bruce offered a sympathetic smile as he pulled the last item out of his bag. Unfortunately, the edge of the beaker caught the edge of the pack. When it was pulled free, the backpack toppled over, sending papers flying.

"Crap," Bruce muttered, beginning to gather the stray sheets.

Steve arched an eyebrow at him. The mild language wasn't like Banner. But he supposed anyone would pick up that habit from Stark.

He helped his friend pick up the papers, stopping when his hand landed on the single filing folder. It read: _Avengers Initiative._

"You kept these?" Steve asked, picking up the five pieces of paper.

Bruce pursed his lips. "You disapprove."

"Not exactly," Steve protested, flipping through the sheets. "I just don't see why..."

He trailed off, frowning at two particular pieces. That couldn't be right...

"What's wrong?"

"Look at this." Steve shifted to sit next to Bruce, separating the papers into two stacks and laying them on the table. "There's a page missing."

Bruce adjusted his glasses, examining the predicament. "How can you tell?"

"The almost nonexistent page numbers in the bottom corners," Steve explained, tapping his finger on said numbers in demonstration. "It skips three. Here's page two," he shifted Clint's file before revealing the next paper in line, "and here's page four. Three is missing."

"You think the printer made a mistake?" Bruce asked, though his voice sounded doubtful.

"Or Natasha's hiding something from us," Steve answered, feeling like that was the more plausible reason. Natasha had seemed cool and distant ever since he first met her. And she'd already proved she was good at discovering and keeping secrets after finding the Avengers Initiative files.

"Why would she do that?"

"I don't know, but we're going to find out."

Steve got to his feet, the science tutor session forgotten. He grabbed his leather jacket off a hook in the hall.

"Where are we going?" Bruce asked, scrambling to his feet to follow.

"To Stark's place," Steve answered. "You know some basic hacking skills, right?"

"I can get J.A.R.V.I.S to help, too."

"Good."

Steve didn't waste any time mounting his motorcycle and driving toward Stark Manor with Bruce. He didn't know what secrets Natasha was keeping, but he was going to find out. It was his turn to do some digging on her.

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><p>Upon arriving at the manor, Bruce swiped the keycard Tony had given him to unlock the door, heading inside and downstairs without hesitation.<p>

"We should make this fast," Steve urged, watching him power up the room. He tried not to focus on the mess of the place what with the torn blueprints and scattered armor. "I don't know if Stark's parents are home or not."

"J.A.R.V.I.S, would you help me hack into the school's private servers?" Bruce asked, typing away on the large computer.

_"Of course, Dr. Banner."_

Despite the seriousness of the situation, Steve had to ask, "_Doctor_ Banner?"

Bruce blushed slightly, not looking up from what he was doing. "I, uh, want to be a doctor when I get older. J.A.R.V.I.S seems to think that means he should call me that."

Steve nodded, impressed. Knowing there wasn't anything else to say, he let the two get to work. As the minutes ticked by, he found himself growing restless and began pacing the length of the room.

He could have sworn his acute hearing had picked up the sound of footsteps coming from upstairs. He didn't want to confront Tony's parents. The truth was...well...he hadn't seen Howard since they were eighteen and twenty during the war. And as far as he knew, Tony hadn't told his father that Captain America was still alive.

"Done!" Bruce exclaimed, sounding pleased with himself. "I'm in."

Steve rushed over, peering over the younger boy's shoulder as he scrolled through the documents. "There," he said, pointing at the screen. "That's our missing page."

Bruce nodded, clicking the file to enlarge it. Both boys fell silent when they saw what was on it.

"Why wouldn't she tell us she was part of the Initiative?" Bruce asked aloud, thoroughly confused.

Steve didn't answer, clenching his fists as he reread the profile over and over. More secrets. They didn't know where Natasha was from, who her parents were, how old she was, and various other things. They only knew her name was Natasha Romanoff and, apparently, that wasn't entirely accurate, either.. What else could she be hiding from them?

"Wait, look at this," Bruce interrupted his thoughts, pointing at the screen. "It says here that she used to be part of the Red Room Gang. What's that?"

Steve shook his head. "No idea. But we really need to go. Print it and let's move."

"Why are you so paranoid?" Bruce asked even as he did as instructed.

"I'm not a fan of confronting my past," Steve answered, gripping the other boy's elbow and pulling him toward the door.

But they'd taken too long. On their way up the stairs, they were stopped by none other than Howard Stark. He looked like he was about to yell at them when he recognized Steve.

"Steve?" he queried softly, reaching out to touch the boy's shoulder as if he thought it was an illusion. "You...you're alive?"

Steve would have answered had he not been distracted by how young Howard looked. He couldn't have been older than forty-five. But how was that possible? It had been seventy plus years!

"Mr. Stark!" Bruce spoke up, putting on a polite smile. "We're sorry to disturb you, but Tony asked us to get some of his homework that he'd forgotten to turn in," he explained, quickly flashing Natasha's file.

Not that it mattered. Howard wasn't paying attention to Bruce. "How are you still alive? And _eighteen?_" As if realizing what Bruce had said, his eyes narrowed. "And how do you know my son?"

Steve finally found his voice. He didn't want Howard being mad at Tony. "We go to school together."

"_What?!_" Howard all but barked, anger consuming his expression. "And he never _told _me? When I get my hands on that boy..."

Steve felt his own anger rush through him. If this was how Howard was reacting to the news of him still being alive, he wasn't surprised Tony hadn't told his father. He was about to leap to Tony's defense when Bruce spoke up again.

"Yes, he should have told you. But we really need to get going. Goodbye!" Bruce said rapidly, pushing Steve around a still raging Howard, up the stairs, and out of the house.

"Why would you do that?" Steve asked, pulling away from Bruce. "You heard what he said. He's going to hurt Stark!"

"I know," Bruce said softly, making sure his friend mounted the motorcycle. "And we'll protect Tony. But we needed to get out of there, and you know it."

Steve sighed, only pausing for a moment before starting up the bike. "You're right."

Bruce patted Steve's back. "I know. But I get the feeling there's something else on your mind."

"Why was Howard still so young?" Steve asked, confusion lacing his voice. "He's supposed to be ninety years old by now."

Bruce was silent for a few long moments before saying, "I don't know if I'm supposed to tell you this, but Tony once confided in me about his father using a dull version of your super soldier serum. He only used the elements that slowed the aging process."

"He always seemed like he wanted to live forever," Steve muttered in return.

"But there's that other thing," Bruce said, changing the subject before things got out of hand. "What do we do about Natasha?"

Steve didn't want to ruin the dance for his friends, but he felt like they needed to know. He didn't want them to continue living a lie around the newest member of their group.

"We need to go to the school and tell everyone the truth."

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><p><strong>Oh, dear. It looks like everything's about to fall apart, huh? Anyone as excited as I am? XD<strong>


	23. Chapter 23

***makes face* I'm not one hundred percent sure I'm satisfied with this chapter. It didn't come out quite the same as I was picturing it in my head. But I don't want to take longer than I already have, and I'm not really sure how to improve it. But I hope you guys enjoy it! I'm _mostly _happy with it, I guess. Oh, don't listen to me. It's fine. It is. (I think...)**

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><p>Natasha had never been one to enjoy silly things like school dances. In fact, she'd surprised herself when she'd agreed to go. But something about going with Clint made it all bearable. Especially since he enjoyed making fun of people as much as she did.<p>

"Look at Thor dancing with that Jane Foster girl," Clint pointed out, lifting Natasha's hand to point her finger in that direction, while managing to send a shiver down her spine at the physical contact.

"He's trying so hard not to step on her toes," Natasha observed, one side of her mouth quirking upward in a half smile.

"Yeah, but she doesn't seem to mind. She actually looks like she's having fun teaching him to dance."

"Do _you _know how to dance, Clint?"

Clint let out a small, nervous chuckle at that, rubbing the back of his neck. "About that..."

"Oh, that won't do," Natasha chided, clicking her tongue even as she grabbed his hand and pulled him onto the dance floor. "Come on. I'll teach you."

"I don't know if that's a good idea," Clint protested, but he let her drag him along anyway.

"It's easy," Natasha insisted. "You don't even have to really _dance. _Do the other kids look like they know what they're doing?"

He glanced around when she asked that and then shook his head. "Looks to me like they're just swaying back and forth."

"Exactly. Look, put your right hand here," she instructed, taking his hand and resting it on her waist, trying not to shudder in delight at the touch. What was _wrong _with her? She was supposed to be the toughest girl there was, and here she was acting like a giggling schoolgirl at a cute boy's touch. Pepper grinning at her over Tony's shoulder didn't help, either.

"And my other hand here," Clint continued, not noticing her falter as he took her right hand in his left, holding their arms out to their sides. "Right?"

"Uh...right," Natasha stammered, inwardly yelling at herself to get her act together. "See? You've got this."

He grinned. "Yeah, but I'd be lost without you, Tasha."

The nickname sent yet another shiver racing down her spine and she glared over her shoulder at it as if that would make it keep still. She was _not _going to be one of those girls who had a crush and went on and on about him all the time. Clint Barton was her friend and nothing more. She'd decided to come with him so that he wouldn't be alone. Yeah, that was it. They were just _friends. _

Clint's voice brought her out of her denial. "Nat?"

Natasha shook her head to clear it, looking up into his clear blue eyes. "Sorry. I was...thinking."

He smiled slightly. "I noticed. What's on your mind?"

_Oh, nothing. Just you, and the fact that I think I'm falling for you, only I don't want to because it won't end well for either of us, _she was tempted to say. But that was surefire way to turn this whole situation awkward.

"I...it's...nothing. I'm kind of thirsty, actually. Punch break?"

Clint eyed her skeptically, but he shrugged. "Sure."

A few moments and two glasses of punch later, the two leaned against the wall near the gym doors, watching other students dancing and milling around.

Natasha was finally beginning to feel her heart slow down and she thought that maybe she could get through this night without voicing her thoughts. That was until Clint spoke again, however.

"You seem...different tonight," he said, turning a concerned gaze to her. "Is everything okay?"

_Oh, God, please no. Can short term memory loss plague him right now? Just for a few seconds in order for me to escape?_

But, of course, that didn't happen. So Natasha had to take a deep breath and answer. "It's been about a month since we met, right?"

Clint nodded slowly, as if he was trying to decide if this was a trick question or not. "Yeah...and?"

"We've grown closer as friends," she went on, refusing to meet his eyes. "No one can deny that. But I feel closer to you than the others. It's like we have this...connection."

Realizing what she was saying, Natasha groaned and hid her eyes behind one hand. "I sound like an idiot."

Faster than she could turn and walk away, Clint gently took her hand in his and lowered it from her eyes. Reluctantly, she looked up to meet his soft, understanding gaze.

"You most definitely _don't _sound like an idiot. Unless that makes me one, too."

Natasha didn't answer, instead tilting her head in silent permission to go on.

"In fact, I've been thinking the same thing. You just had the guts to say it before I did."

Hesitantly, as if he wasn't sure if it was okay, Clint reached out to fondle one of her auburn curls. "I feel like I can be myself around you. Like I can tell you anything. Like there are no secrets between us."

Warmth had been rising in Natasha's chest until that last statement turned it icy cold. There were so many secrets she was keeping from him and the rest of their group. Maybe it was time to come clean.

When she stepped away from him, he looked hurt. "Clint, there's something I need to tell you. It's-"

She was interrupted by the doors swinging open behind her. One of them bumped into her, sending her tripping forward into Clint's arms. A blush tried to rise into her cheeks, but she furiously pushed it down.

Clint was smiling again, and he looked like he was about to say something silly in his typical Clint fashion, but he, too, was interrupted.

It was Steve and Bruce.

"We need to talk," Steve said, his solemn tone worrying Natasha as much as Bruce's disappointed look was.

Clint's smile disappeared. "Right. I'll round up the gang."

A few minutes later, the six friends were gathered out in the hall with Pepper and Jane talking to each other in the gym.

"What's this about?" Tony asked, letting out a huff of exasperation. "I was about to make my move."

Clint slapped him upside the head. "Shut up, Stark."

"Sorry, but this is important. I don't want the rest of you living more of a lie than you already are," Steve said, and when he cast a glance at Natasha, she knew what this was about.

Dread worked its way through her entire being, sending her heart plummeting toward her feet. This couldn't be happening. Not now.

"Natasha..." Bruce started, shoving his glasses up his nose nervously. "Natasha isn't who she says she is."

At those words, five pairs of eyes turned to the only female of the group. They held varying looks of confusion and anger.

"What are you saying?" Clint asked, his voice barely audible. The despair in it was palpable.

Steve sighed, looking as if it physically pained him to share the news. "For one, she's part of the Avengers Initiative, too."

"Why would you not tell us this, Lady Natasha?" Thor queried, cocking his head. "Is this not joyous news?"

Natasha couldn't answer around the growing lump in her throat. Just like that, she could see the boys slipping through her fingers.

"Second, her name is Natalia Romanova," Steve went on. "She's Russian."

"Russian," Tony muttered, his gaze fixed on the floor. "I've had bad experiences with a Russian."

"Third," Bruce spoke up, clearing his throat. He looked the most uncomfortable out of all of them. "She used to be part of a...Red Room Gang? What is that?"

"Who cares what it is?" Clint blurted suddenly, his voice rising. "What matters is she...you," he corrected, whirling on her, "have been lying to us since the day we met!"

"Clint..." Natasha started, reaching out to him, feeling her heart break when he stepped away as if she would burn him.

"Is there anything definite about you, Natasha? Or should I say Natalia? What about everything we were saying in there?" he demanded, gesturing toward the gym. "About feeling closer?"

Natasha could only look at Clint sadly as he raged on. But surprisingly, someone spoke up in her defense.

"Hey, cut Romanoff some slack," Tony said, stepping in between the two. "So she has secrets she didn't want to share. How is that any different than you guys finding out about my crappy life? Heck, I've got plenty of secrets I never wanted to share with the rest of you. Does that make me a traitor?"

Clint snapped his mouth shut, unable to fight back at that. But he still looked like he could Hulk smash something.

"I...yeah," Bruce put in, stepping up to stand next to Natasha. "You guys don't judge me for being the Hulk. Why should we judge her for having a presumably dark past?"

Steve shook his head, crossing his arms. "That doesn't excuse her from all the lies."

Clint looked at Natasha for several long moments with an expression that was impossible to read. Even for her. But he sided with Steve, crossing his arms as well. "I thought I could trust you."

By now, Natasha was trying so hard not to break down crying. When was the last time she'd gotten the urge to do _that? _She couldn't remember. She hadn't had friends like these guys in a long, _long _time. She didn't realize how much it would hurt to lose them. Especially Clint. The way he was looking at her with anger, disappointment, and heartbreak was enough to make her want to curl into a ball and shield herself from the world for days.

_I'm losing him. He was the only person I felt like I could be a semblance of myself around. And I'm losing him. _

Thor was the only one who hadn't chosen a side, and she noticed the poor boy looking back and forth between the two groups as if he was watching a tennis match.

As it was, he didn't have to make his decision at that moment, for a bald black man with an eye patch and a trench coat suddenly walked up to them.

"Good, you're all together. I'm here to talk to you about the Avengers Initiative."

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><p><strong>*snorts* Of course, Fury doesn't care about their crisis. <strong>

**About the Red Room Gang. It's not that I don't know where I'm going with it (except that's partly true). It's that I figure someone like Coulson will tell them about it later and they'll feel bad about turning against Natasha. **


	24. Chapter 24

**Two chapters in one day! That's not very common when it comes to me. (Don't get used to it. :P) Anyway.**

**You guys know Thor isn't my favorite character to write. I have a harder time with him than the others, but I'm actually rather pleased with this chapter. I had a lot of fun writing it. **

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><p>Thor did not know what to do. During one moment, he was enjoying himself at the school dance with Jane Foster. The next, he was out in the hall caught in the middle of a war. He did not understand. What had everyone so angry? He did not see what was wrong with secrets. Especially if those secrets made you uncomfortable. Why would you want to share them if that was the case? Although, he had to admit it stung a little bit to know that the lady Natasha had been lying to them.<p>

Then this man showed up saying he wanted to talk about the Avengers Initiative. A man that, if Thor was not mistaken, none of them knew. That was, if the confusion on his companions' faces were any indicator.

As it was, Tony voiced what they were all thinking (or along the lines of what everyone was thinking). "Who the heck are you?"

"Nick Fury," the man answered. "I'm with the Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement and Logistics Division."

Tony made a face. "God, you've got to get a new name for that."

He let out a small yelp of pain when Steve stepped on his foot in what Thor assumed to be a reprimanding manner.

Nick Fury smiled slightly in a way that did not reach his eyes...eye. "We're working on it."

"How do you know of the Initiative of the Avengers?" Thor asked, trying to work it all out in his head.

"Because I'm the creator," Fury returned.

At that, everyone began talking at once.

"What _is _the Initiative, exactly? Are there bows and arrows involved?"

"Why wasn't I recommended? I'm freaking awesome!"

"You don't need the Hulk, right? Just Bruce Banner?"

Steve was the one that cut everyone off with a pointed look before he said, "I've been attending this school for a while, sir. How come I've never heard of you or the Strategic Homeland In...Inter..."

"Just call them S.H.I.E.L.D," Natasha cut in, her voice more timid than Thor had ever heard it.

"S.H.I.E.L.D," Steve repeated grudgingly, as if he did not appreciate accepting a suggestion from the Black Widow.

"We're a newer organization," Fury answered. "A _top secret _organization. We handle the jobs that everyone is afraid to do."

"_That's _reassuring," Clint muttered, still seeming to be in a bad mood after his revelation about Natasha.

"What manner of jobs do you speak of?" Thor asked, wanting to keep the subject on the Avengers Initiative and not Natasha, who was looking at him gratefully for it.

"For starters, we obtain strange artifacts and lock them up in a vault underneath the school."

"Cool," both Tony and Clint whistled.

Fury cast a glance at the two boys out of the corner of his eye, deciding not to comment. "And that's why I came to the six of you today. I apologize for interrupting your evening, but this is urgent."

"Something was stolen from you," Bruce spoke up suddenly.

The man shot him a look. "How did you know that?"

"I...it was just a hunch? Why else would you tell us about the vault first?"

"You're pretty perceptive, kid. That could come in handy."

Bruce flushed slightly at the praise, waving a hand to tell Fury to go on.

"Yes, something was stolen. A powerful alien object called the Tesseract. It emits strong gamma radiation, and we believe it has the potential to open portals between realms."

"Whoa, time out," Tony interrupted, making a T with his hands. "I know there's Asgard, or wherever the heck Thor comes from," he said, absently waving a hand in Thor's direction, "but how many realms are we talking about, exactly?"

"I know of nine," Thor answered his question, glad that they were finally talking about something he understood. "But there could be several more. Asgardians do not know for sure."

"Right. Okay. Just...give me a second," Tony said to that, pressing his fingers against his temples as if he feared his head was going to explode.

At everyone's worried looks, Steve explained, "Stark doesn't like it when he stumbles upon something he doesn't understand."

Thor let out a slight chuckle, clapping his large hand on Tony's small shoulder. "Then be thankful you are not mineself, Man of Iron."

"Iron Man," Tony mumbled in return, stumbling underneath the weight of Thor's hand. "It's Iron Man."

"Back to the subject at hand," Clint spoke up, rolling his eyes slightly as he turned back to Fury. "What do you want _us _to do about it?"

"First off, I want you to take a trip down into the vault and take a look at the crime scene."

"All of us?" Bruce asked, frowning slightly. "Because I'm not so sure that's such a good idea right now."

Fury must have caught some of the Natasha conversation before he approached them because he shook his head. "You, Mr. Stark, and Captain Rogers should do just fine."

Thor nodded to himself, satisfied with this decision. None of them were all too pleased with the Black Widow at the moment, and the archer was still a tad too volatile to trust he would keep his head. And Thor himself...well...he still did not quite understand everything Midgard had to offer. Although...

"Furious Man, I believe I can be of help."

Fury looked at him, seeming a little annoyed that someone had contradicted him. "And why do you say that?"

"I am familiar with the Tesseract."

"And that's exactly why I want you on lookout. You'll be able to recognize it among any of the students or staff should one of them be up to no good."

Thor considered this for a moment before nodding solemnly. "I believe your theory to be sound. I will do as you ask."

Fury nodded once. "Good. Second, once you three are done examining the crime scene, all six of you are to report to the principal's office. I don't care if it's a Saturday. Understood?"

Thor took a glance around the group, noticing the expressions on each one of their faces. The Captain looked ready to obey orders. In fact, he seemed to feel like he was in his element and was perfectly comfortable. The Man of Iron looked annoyed, and Thor knew he did not like taking orders. However, he did not voice a word of protest, either. Banner was nodding vigorously, eager to please. The archer looked put out, and he was still eyeing Natasha in such a way that said he was not forgiving her anytime soon. The lady Natasha was acting unlike herself. She looked submissive as she nodded once to show she understood and was okay with the orders.

Watching the last two in particular, Thor feared they would never return to what they had been before. And that was _good friends. _It saddened him to see how much pain a few secrets and lies could cause.

"All right," Fury continued, nodding once more. "I'll see Mr. Banner, Mr. Stark, and Captain Rogers bright and early tomorrow morning at 0500 hours."

"Five o'clock?" Tony repeated, making a sound that reminded Thor of a squawking bird. "On a _Saturday? _Are you even human?"

Fury smiled at that. "We'll be getting to know each other over the next few weeks. I assure you, Mr. Stark, you'll be finding that answer for yourself."

With that, the man turned around, his trench coat billowing as he walked away and disappeared around the corner as if he had never been there at all.

Clint was the first one to speak. "I'm going home," he said darkly, waving his hand at the others and stalking off down the hall.

Natasha watched him go, a look of deep sadness in her eyes as she, too, turned to go. Except she headed in the opposite direction without a word of farewell to the others.

"We should be going, too," Steve said, glancing at his watch. "It's getting late. Especially considering the hour some of us have to get up tomorrow."

Tony groaned. "I'm not looking forward to that."

Steve half smiled in amusement as he turned to Bruce. "I'll give you a ride home."

"That's good." Bruce smiled. "Because you're the one that drove me here."

Before long, only Thor and Tony were left. The latter patted the former's 'beefy' (as Tony described it) upper arm. "See you later, Point Break."

Thor stood there alone for a few moments before letting out a long sigh and stepping back into the gym. The majority of the students had left, but he was fortunate to find Jane waiting for him.

Upon seeing the look on his face she asked, "Is everything okay?"

Thor looked down into her concerned, warm brown eyes. "I would not say things are 'okay', Jane Foster. But they could be worse."

She smiled, laying a hand on his arm. "Do you want to talk about it?"

Her gentleness was soothing and Thor found himself telling her all about the situation with Natasha, careful to leave out the facts about the Avengers Initiative.

For her part, Jane listened well, and she did not stop him once to ask questions. Once he had finished she said, "It sounds to me like it isn't Natasha's fault. Call me biased because she's the only girl in your group, but what's the big deal about all these secrets? I've known you for a while, and it wasn't until recently that you explained to me about Asgard."

"So you believe friends Clint and Steve to be wrong?" Thor asked, tilting his head.

Jane shook her head. "Not necessarily. They have every right to be upset. I'm just saying they should let up a little. I'm sure Natasha has a logical reason as to why she didn't tell you guys everything."

Thor considered this and then nodded. "Your judgment is wise, Jane."

"Oh." Jane smiled, shrugging. "I'm not sure wise is the right word to describe me, but thank you."

Thor smiled down at her, beginning to feel better. Jane never failed to lift his spirits. He was definitely thankful he had brought her with him tonight. He felt as if he would be lost without her.

And perhaps she was right. Everyone needed to give Natasha some room. Things would work themselves out in the end. They always did among friends, did they not?

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><p><strong>So what do you guys think?<strong>

**Also, who should the next chapter's POV be in? Bruce, Tony, or Steve? (Maybe not Steve. I'm planning on doing one with him soon involving training.)**


	25. Chapter 25

**Sorry for the wait, but I got busy during Christmas break, and I was sick a few days ago, so that left me not feeling like updating.**

**But 100 reviews and 102 followers?! You guys spoil me. I'll try to update again over the weekend as a thank you to all you epic readers. (No promises though. I'm still feeling kind of awful.)**

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><p>If Tony wanted to be completely honest, he didn't know what to think about Romanoff...Romanova. No, it was Natasha...Natalia? Great, now his head hurt.<p>

Then you had how he _hadn't _been recommended for the Avengers Initiative, but Fury talked to him like he _was _a part of it. Maybe since he was such good friends with the others, the man figured he could tag along for now? Tony didn't know.

Now, here he was on the drive home after dropping Pepper off at her place, trying his best to focus on the road and not all the confusing things in his life.

Upon arriving at the manor, he burst through the door, tossing his jacket onto a hook and immediately rushing down the stairs into his workshop. It was _his _turn to do some hacking. (What was with everyone thinking they could use his tech anyway?)

"Okay, Miss Romanoff," he muttered, rolling up his sleeves and cracking his knuckles. "Let's see what we can find on you."

It had occurred to him that he could just _ask _Natasha about her past. But where was the fun in that? Besides, chances were she wouldn't tell him in the first place.

Figuring the school was a bad choice since it had been hacked _twice _(by amateurs, at that), Tony decided to delve into the NYPD database. After all, if this 'Red Room Gang' was something Natasha was uncomfortable about, that probably meant it was bad. And if it was bad, if it was some sort of criminal group, the police would have experience with it.

"I just need to make sure to not get arrested," Tony said aloud, smirking wryly. "Though I don't think it would surprise anyone."

It didn't take long to hack in (he'd have to have a word with the police about their security without letting them know what he'd done). His eyes narrowed as he scrolled through the files.

"Bank robbery? Boring. Jail break? Boring. Borrringgg!" he finished in a singsong voice before he finally found what he wanted. "Red Room Gang. Highly classified. What have you been up to, you naughty girl?"

Tony double clicked on the file to enlarge it. Starting at the top of the page, his eyes scanned the page as he read aloud, "The Red Room Gang is a cunning group with a dangerous criminal background. Their primary goal is to take what they want when they want it, even if it means going to extreme measures."

Extreme measures? Like death? _"_Jeez, Nat. No wonder you didn't want us knowing."

Concentrating on the text again, he continued to read. "All of them seem to have martial arts skills, as well as deadly accuracy with weapons. They aren't easy to interrogate, for they know how to turn it around and get information out of the interrogator. Their cool, deceptive demeanor makes it hard to get a read on them."

Tony snorted at that. "Sounds like Natasha all right. Not that I can criticize considering my own emotional barriers." He rolled his eyes at himself. "Wow, Stark. 'Emotional barriers.' Smooth."

He sat back for a moment, arms crossed. He knew that he should probably be mad like Barton and Rogers, but he found that he couldn't be. Maybe he'd never gone to the dark side as far as murder, but he'd most definitely done...questionable things in his life. And if he'd had a change of heart (like it seemed Natasha had), he wouldn't want others knowing about something as terrible as the Red Room Gang. In fact, he was almost kind of _mad _at Clint and Steve. They hadn't even given Natasha a moment to explain, let alone give her a chance to redeem herself. Maybe he could give Cap a good talking to tomorrow.

"That's right," he groaned. "I have to get up at an inhuman hour."

He was about to get up and go to bed when more of the file caught his eye. "Wait, what's this?

"The most deadly of the Gang is the one known as Natalia Romanova. She's ruthless and refuses to let anyone or anything get in her way. She only seems to be around sixteen, but she looks much older, and she uses that to her advantage by luring in men and gleaning information from them. She usually...kills them...afterwards..." Tony trailed off, feeling his eyes widen. Okay, that was pretty intense. He should be mad at her _now, _right?

He shook his head, turning off the computer and getting to his feet. She'd done dreadful things, yes. Had she enjoyed them? He sincerely doubted it. He found that he trusted her. And if she was recommended for the Avengers Initiative, she couldn't be all bad, right?

"You'd still better have a pretty good explanation though, Romanoff," he muttered to himself, making his way back up the stairs. "You definitely have some convincing to do by Barton and Cap."

"What did you say?"

Tony froze in his tracks at the new voice as he was about to head down the hall. Slowly turning around, he put on a smile. "Hey, Dad. You're up late."

Howard's voice was low and eerily calm as he studied his nails. "Cap, huh? And just how would you know Captain America? After all, he died seventy years ago. Or did he?"

"Look, Dad," Tony started, feeling his heart thump against his ribcage. No one could strike up his sense of terror like Howard Stark. "I meant to tell you, but-"

"How long have you known about this?" Howard interrupted, looking up with dark eyes at his son. "How long have you known about Steve being alive?"

Tony was silent for several moments, his lips pursed. When Howard barked a "well?" at him, he flinched as if the word was a harsh slap. "Almost a year," he said finally, his voice barely audible.

"A year," Howard repeated, his voice still low. "A _year!_" he said again, his voice suddenly loud.

Even though he could practically feel his knees shaking, Tony held his chin high and nodded. "Yeah. We're good friends, too."

"And you didn't think to tell me?" Howard demanded, taking large steps across the room. Tony didn't shrink away when the punches and slaps started. "You ungrateful,"  
><em>slap, <em>"piece," _thud, _"of," _slap, _"crap!" _thud. _

Tony stumbled back, cupping one hand around his nose as he felt blood squeeze though the cracks in his fingers. The other hand was resting against his abdomen. "Steve wouldn't want this," he said firmly, lifting a defiant gaze, even as he felt as if he would collapse at any moment.

"Don't talk to me about Steve!" Howard spat. "You don't know a _single thing _about Steve. The only thing you need to know is that he would make a much better son than you."

The words stung more than any of the beatings ever had. They hurt enough to knock the breath out of Tony for a moment. His Dad hated him, yes, but he'd never told Tony that he was an awful son.

Something snapped inside of Tony at that moment. Something that had been worn thin enough as it was. "See, this is exactly why I didn't tell you about Cap!" he screamed at Howard. "Because you'd become an even worse dad than you already are! What happened to the man that used to tell me Captain America stories and then kiss me goodnight? What happened to the man that let me stay up late with him in his workshop inventing things? What happened to _him? _What happened during my captivity in Afghanistan that changed you so much?"

Saying the words out loud gave Tony a realization of sorts. Howard _had _changed shortly after Afghanistan. He'd become distant, cold, and abusive. It had Tony missing the old Howard, and as much as he wanted to hate his dad, he found that he couldn't.

That was why when Howard raised his fist to strike another blow, Tony squared his shoulders and looked his dad in the eye. "Go ahead. Hit me as much as you want. I just want you to know that I don't hate you. And I'm waiting for the day when you decide that you don't hate me. I'm waiting for my dad to come back."

Howard looked at his son for a moment, his hand frozen in the air. Tony wanted to believe that the brief glint in his father's eyes was sorrow and regret, but it was impossible to tell, for Howard was letting out a growl through clenched teeth. Without another word, he whirled on his heel and left, leaving Tony alone.

Tony stood there for a moment, his breath rattling in and out. He was pretty sure one or more of his ribs was bruised. He sank to his knees, refusing to think that the lump in his throat could possibly be tears. Starks didn't cry. _He _didn't cry. Why would he? He didn't hate his father, but he definitely didn't love him. No way. That was impossible. You couldn't love someone that cruel. Tony reserved his love for a very special few. Those very special few that he actually trusted. It was the kind of love he felt toward Pepper, or maybe his mother. Howard didn't fall into that category.

So why did his heart feel like it had shattered?

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><p><strong>I meant to make this longer than it is, but Howard and Tony's fight was better being short and intense. At least I think it was intense. Let me know what you think.<strong>


	26. Chapter 26

**Okay, so I didn't make my weekend deadline, but I almost did! And I'm feeling lots better now, so that's a plus.**

**I'm actually really proud of this chapter, and I had a blast writing it, so I'm hoping you guys like it. (It ended up longer, too, so that's another thing I'm proud of.)**

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><p>Bruce glanced at his watch, tapping his foot both impatiently and nervously at the same time. It was 5:13, and Tony still hadn't shown up. Now, the first few minutes he'd let slide. Five o'clock really was stretching it a bit. But Fury had walked up to him and Steve (who had been there at 4:45, apparently) at 5:05 demanding to know where Stark was.<p>

He might not normally have been too worried. After all, Tony was often 'fashionably late' as he liked to call it. But it wasn't until this morning that Bruce had woken up remembering about Howard. And now he was racked with concern over his friend's safety.

When he'd voiced his thoughts to Steve, the older boy had frowned. "I tried going over there, but I couldn't get in. Let's just hope Stark can take care of himself."

Bruce had given him a look that said, _"Really? You've **met **Tony, right?"_ The guy was too pig-headed to run and hide.

Finally, at 5:21, Tony made an appearance. Bruce instantly noticed what was wrong with him. He was standing up too straight and limping, as if bending over was painful. That probably meant bruised ribs. He obviously had concealer around his left eye to cover the bruising. And Bruce noticed the way his breath whistled out of his nose, which likely meant dried blood was clogging the air passage.

Bruce told himself his friend hated pity, but he still found himself blurting, "Tony! Are...are you okay?"

He was immediately rewarded with an exasperated look. "I'm fine."

"Howard?" Steve queried, voice soft.

Rage filled Tony's dark brown eyes, turning them nearly black. "Yeah. _Howard. _He wasn't happy when he discovered the Captain America secret I've been keeping from him."

"This is my fault," Steve said with a pained look in his eyes. "I'm-"

"Yeah, it _is _your fault," Tony interrupted. "And don't you _dare _say you're sorry. Next time you burst into my house uninvited, stay out of my personal life."

"Stark..."

"Look, can we just forget it? Let's get this crime scene investigation over with."

Before Steve could protest, Tony had stormed off down the hall after an impatient looking Fury.

Bruce pursed his lips, turning his gaze to Steve. "We messed up."

The older boy shook his head. "No, you did nothing wrong."

Bruce wanted to insist that he'd readily gone along with making the trip to the Stark residence, but Steve had started down the hall after Fury and Tony. With a sigh, he also headed in that direction, getting lost in thought as he did so. He barely even noticed when they stepped into an elevator and began their twenty floor descent.

Why was everything going so wrong? First it was Natasha. Then it was this Tesseract business which he suspected was deadly serious. Otherwise, why would the Avengers have been called in? Now it was Tony. And the new school year had started off so well.

Fury's voice pulled him out of his thoughts. "This is the vault."

Bruce adjusted his glasses as he stepped underneath the yellow tape. It didn't _look _like a crime had happened here. It looked like nothing had been touched. The vault door was intact and every box was in its place.

"Are you sure you weren't imagining things when the Tesseract was stolen?" Tony asked, voicing what Bruce was thinking. Though the question held a good amount of sarcasm.

Fury shot him a look. "I'm positive."

"When did the crime happen, exactly?" Steve asked, casting a scrutinizing gaze around him.

"During the dance last night. We have it narrowed down to the nine through ten o'clock hour."

"What, you didn't have S.H.I.E.L.D agents guarding this place like a hawk?" Tony scoffed.

Fury ignored the discriminating tone. "Most of them were watching you students. The one that we did have on guard...Well, it would be better if I showed you."

Bruce straightened at his position next to the vault door. He'd been running his hand along said wall, noticing how cold it felt. Where had he felt that degree of coldness before?

Making a mental note on it, he followed Fury a bit of a distance down the hall to see what the Director had been talking about. There _was _a man with what Bruce assumed to be the S.H.I.E.L.D insignia on his shirt (so _that _was why they were the NFA Eagles). But the man wasn't necessarily a _man. _He was more of a human icicle.

"Hey, look," Tony started, elbowing Steve in the ribs. "You two could be related."

The statement had Bruce inwardly cringing, for it lacked its usual air of lightness and teasing. It sounded more like an insult.

But despite his guilt over the Howard situation, Steve shot a disapproving look down at the shorter boy before kneeling next to the man. "What caused this?"

"That's the thing," Fury answered. "We don't know."

Bruce stroked his chin. The guard was completely frozen. And not like if he'd been out in the snow for too long. He was surrounded by clear ice. The way the ice pointed outwards from his back made it look like he'd been blasted from the front. Which meant whoever had did this to him was either extremely sneaky or quick or both. Whatever it was, there was no doubt that this...being...was powerful.

"Are the Avengers the only superheroes in this school?" Bruce asked, glancing over at Fury.

The Director shook his head. "No. But I can tell you that none of the others have ice powers."

Steve got to his feet, rubbing his hands together to warm them. "So whoever did this either isn't a student, or he or she is very good at hiding their abilities."

Tony spoke up from where he'd been examining the hallway. "Don't you have any security cameras so we can look at footage?"

"Of course," Fury answered, sounding almost annoyed that he considered they might not have cameras. "But the feed cuts out just before Agent Gregor here gets frozen over."

"Was anyone else down here with him?" Tony went on, and Bruce could practically see the gears in his head turning.

"Well, there was one other agent, but she seems to have disappeared."

Steve's ears perked up. "Does she happen to have powers?"

"No."

Bruce's shoulders sagged at the brief answer. "So we're chasing a ghost."

"Ghosts don't exist," Tony pointed out, quite unhelpfully. "What _does _exist is that vault. We should look for clues there."

"Do you have an energy reader of some sort that we could use?" Bruce asked, turning to Fury. "It would definitely help with both locating the Tesseract and finding the criminal if they have special abilities."

One energy reader and a few minutes later, the trio of Avengers were back in the vault. Bruce waved the device (that Tony claimed looked like a price scanner) around the room, waiting for it to detect any form of radiation signature.

"It's cold in here, too," Steve commented. "Whoever iced the guard must emanate cold."

"Captain Obvious, ladies and gentlemen," Tony muttered, rubbing his arms to keep warm as he searched through boxes for any possible clues.

Steve rolled his eyes, but he didn't retort, instead turning to Bruce. "Have you found anything yet?"

"Yes, but it's just the Tesseract energy." Bruce frowned. "It's all over the place, and it's too powerful for the detector to read it accurately. I don't think-"

He broke off when the device started beeping like crazy and grew hot in his hand. "Ouch!" he cried, dropping it and shaking his hand in an attempt to relieve the pain.

"Are you okay?" Steve asked sharply, and even Tony glanced over with a concerned look.

"Yeah," Bruce answered through gritted teeth, kneeling next to the smoking device but not touching it. "That shouldn't have happened..."

"Ya think?" Tony snorted, but he came over and crouched next to his friend anyway.

What little bit of the screen that hadn't been melted off showed a green area instead of the blue dots of the Tesseract energy.

"What does it mean?" Steve asked, tilting his head slightly in confusion.

"It means the Tesseract wasn't the only powerful force down here," Tony answered before Bruce could, getting to his feet. "And from what I've found in some of these boxes, there isn't anything mystical about them."

"Maybe the green readings was the person who killed the guard," Steve offered.

"Gee, I don't know, Cap," Tony answered, tapping his chin. "It _could _be something else. Like a magical flying pig."

Steve shot him a look. "You just don't give up, do you?"

"No. But then again, you aren't my favorite person in the world right now."

"And with the way you've been acting, you aren't mine, either."

"Let's face it, Spangles. I'm _no one's _favorite person."

"I don't like the tone you're taking, Stark."

"Who died and made you my mom?"

Bruce would normally have broken up the two's argument by now, but he was too busy pacing the floor. It was all starting to add up. The coldness_, _the other powerful energy, the frozen guard and the way his hands weren't reaching for any sort of weapon as if he wasn't being threatened...

All of a sudden it clicked. "Loki!"

Tony and Steve abruptly stopped arguing to turn curious eyes to Bruce. "What?" they said in unison, glaring at each other afterwards.

"Loki," Bruce repeated excitedly. "When we first met him and I shook his hand, it was cold. Like, _freezing _cold. Unnaturally so."

Instead of understanding and agreement from the other boys, he got looks of doubt.

"I don't know, Bruce," Steve said, shaking his head. "Just because his hands were cold doesn't immediately mean he has ice powers."

"Besides," Tony put in. "He isn't the god of cold or ice. Thor said he's the god of mischief."

"But..." Bruce protested weakly, beginning to think that maybe he was jumping to conclusions.

"We'll consider Loki a suspect," Steve reassured him. "Until then, we need to keep our eyes open for any other clues."

"We could try finding the woman who was down here with the guard," Tony suggested with a shrug. "She has to be around here somewhere, right?"

"That's actually a good idea," Steve admitted.

"You sound surprised."

"Maybe that's because you're usually the one with the _stupid_ ideas."

"I _love _the confidence you've been giving me today, Capsicle. Keep it up."

"Oh, give it a rest, would you?"

Tony opened his mouth to retort, but Bruce stopped him. "Both of you cut it out. We'll never find the culprit if you guys keep this up."

Steve almost looked sheepish while Tony merely huffed in annoyance.

"Good." Bruce nodded appreciatively. "Now, I say we head up to the main level to meet the others. After all, Fury told the rest of the Avengers to be here when we were done."

Steve nodded and started towards the elevator while Tony mumbled, "If it has anything to do with team building I'm out of here."

"What have you got against team building?" Steve asked, exasperation lacing his tone.

"Probably the fact that whatever exercise we do would involve _you._"

Bruce bit his lip as he followed the two arguing boys. They'd always been at odds with each other at _least_ once a day, but it usually ended quick. And it usually involved a sense of lightness. But this was the third time they had been at it within the past hour, and both of them sounded angry with the other.

Bruce just hoped their fighting would end before one or both of them said something they would regret.


	27. Chapter 27

**Okay, so this one ended up quite a few hundred words longer than the others, but you'll see why while you read. I had too much fun writing this chapter considering what it's actually _about. _Oops?**

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><p>Steve didn't know what it was that was making him despise Stark so much at the moment. Usually, he would shake whatever Tony had said off with a smile and a roll of his eyes. It was almost like a routine they had built. It was their thing and no one got hurt. At least until today.<p>

Sure, Steve had felt guilty over getting Tony in trouble with Howard. Especially when the former had walked up to them earlier with a black eye and a bloody nose. But he was quickly feeling that guilt disappear.

The comment about being related to a frozen man was the first strike. Tony had called him "Capsicle" before, but this time it lacked the nickname and held an insult behind the words. Calling him Captain Obvious was the second. It wasn't Steve's fault he voiced his thoughts even when they didn't need to be said aloud. The final straw was when Stark had openly mocked him, shooting down his perfectly logical answer with sarcasm. _That _was when Steve had decided to put up a fight and, of course, he immediately regretted it. You didn't just _win _a comeback battle with Tony Stark. That wasn't how it worked.

Then they went on with Tony claiming he loved the confidence Steve was giving him, and that made Cap feel even worse. But for some reason, he couldn't bring himself to keep quiet. Stark just infuriated him too much.

So that was why he put as much distance between him and the source of his frustration as possible when the whole of the Avengers showed up in the principal's office.

Phil Coulson examined the group, and Steve had a feeling he wasn't pleased with how no one seemed to be getting along. Natasha and Clint were in a situation similar to his own, as they stood far away from each other. Bruce awkwardly stood to the side with Thor while Tony brooded over in the corner (Steve knew Stark would insist that he was _not _brooding, even if he was).

"So!" Coulson said, clapping his hands together. "I'm glad you all showed up bright and early. That gives us more time to work on training."

The answer to his statement was a collective groan.

"I don't think this is a good idea," Natasha protested, while Clint said testily, "I refuse to train with _her._"

"The Hulk doesn't just train," Bruce said with a deep frown.

"I'm with Clint," Tony spoke up. "Only I refuse to train with _him," _he finished while pointing at Steve.

Steve sighed, glancing at Thor who seemed to be the only one besides him who was okay with training. He then cast his gaze at Coulson with a look that read, _"Help me!"_

"What happened?" Phil asked, disapproval in his voice as he glanced around the group. "A few days ago you were all the best of friends."

He didn't get an answer, but Steve had a feeling he wasn't expecting one.

"We'll train."

All eyes in the room turned to Steve, each pair holding varying degrees of surprise and exasperation.

"We _will,_" he emphasized, glaring at them with what Tony had dubbed his "Captain America stare" that said "shut up, listen, and obey, idiots, because I'm Captain freaking America, goshdarn it!" (Or so Stark had told him. He didn't appreciate the description, but he still used the stare.)

He was the unspoken leader of the group, it was true, but he hadn't actually been expecting to get grumbles of agreement.

"Good," Coulson said with a satisfied nod as he got to his feet. "If you'll follow me, I'll show you to your primary training room."

The six Avengers followed him submissively, and Clint fell into step with Steve as the group made their way down the hall and into the elevator.

"Are you _sure _this is a good idea?" the archer asked skeptically. "I was being serious when I said I wouldn't train with Natasha."

Steve shot him a look. "I know Natasha isn't your favorite person right now. She isn't mine, either, but whatever problems we have with her need to be put aside. You can hate her as much as you want outside of training, but when it comes to fighting bad guys, we need to work as a team. Understand?"

Apparently, his commanding voice got to Clint because he nodded, even if it was reluctant. "Yeah, yeah. I understand."

Steve nodded once in satisfaction as he stepped after Coulson through the doors of their training room. He had to admit it was impressive. And _huge. _One corner held training dummies, one held round, red and white targets, one held punching bags, and the last held weapons and modes of defense. And there was _still _plenty of room to spar in the center of the room.

When Steve's eyes fell on the corner that held the weapons rack, he could feel his entire soul light up, and for a brief second, all his troubles were washed away. Without a word to the others, he jogged over and grabbed the smooth, hard, circular object, rubbing his hand along it almost affectionately.

"My shield," he said to himself quietly, unable to quell the pure joy in his voice. "I thought I'd never see this again!"

Phil walked over to him, smiling. "It was frozen in the ice near you. We would have given it to you earlier, but you know how top secret S.H.I.E.L.D is. We didn't want you knowing about us yet."

"I...I don't know what to say," Steve said, clearing his throat to stop his voice from cracking with emotion. "_Thank _you."

Coulson patted his shoulder and nodded before turning to address the entire group. "All right, this is where you'll be spending a lot of your time. We have to be ready for whatever threat will come along with the Tesseract being stolen."

Bruce raised his hand tentatively before saying, "Sir, if it's all right with you, I think I'll sit this one out."

Phil turned his attention to Bruce and nodded. "I understand and completely agree. I think it would be wise to participate in making strategic plans, but there's no need for the Hulk to train."

The boy was clearly relieved as he let out a sigh. "Thank you, sir."

"The rest of you get to work. I'll pair you up for starters, but you can deal with sparring partners on your own after this. Miss Romanoff will be paired against Mr. Barton, Captain Rogers with Mr. Stark, and Thor with the android we built to withstand megatons of force."

Steve felt his heart sink at the pairings. For one, he knew nothing good could come out of Black Widow and Hawkeye sparring against each other. And secondly, he had no interest in fighting Iron Man. He was already upset enough with the boy as it was.

Thor was the only one who seemed happy with the arrangement as he followed Coulson out of the room to where they kept the aforementioned android. Why couldn't _Steve_ fight an android? Granted, Iron Man was similar to one, but an android didn't have an upset boy inside of it.

"Okay, Spangles, let's get this over with," Tony said after he had suited up, and the roll of his eyes was evident in his voice, even though Steve couldn't see his face.

"My thoughts exactly," he muttered, and without another moment's hesitation, he threw his shield at Iron Man's chest, sending his opponent skidding back (so maybe he'd used more force to hurl his shield than was necessary, but who could blame him?).

"You purposely threw that too hard!" Stark protested, a bit of a whine in his voice.

That whine just made Steve despise him all the more, and his next comment came with a bit of a sneer. "What are you going to do about it?"

The taunt wasn't like him, and neither was the condescending tone. Honestly, Steve wasn't sure what had overcome him.

"I think I'll start with beating the crap out of you, old man," Tony spat, kicking the shield that had landed on the floor aside as he raised his repulsors.

The familiar whirring of said repulsors charging up sent Steve running for his shield. He grabbed it just in time to protect himself from the blast. "Those weren't on stun, were they?"

The smirk could be heard in Stark's voice. "Nope."

Steve let out a little growl underneath his breath as he rolled to the side and kicked Iron Man in the gut. It once again sent the armor stumbling back. "You realize this fight proves nothing."

He lifted his shield to block another blast as his opponent countered, "It proves that I'm the better superhero. I would say that's a big something."

"But you're not really a hero," Cap returned through gritted teeth as he grabbed a gun off the weapons rack. "You're barely even a threat."

Tony froze for a split second before taking to the air and raining down repulsor blasts from above. "You're one to talk. You're not a hero, either. You're just a little sickly kid from Brooklyn. Everything _heroic _about you came out of a bottle."

The words stung more than any of the sparring did, and Steve angrily fired rounds from his gun up at Iron Man. "And what about you? If I get my heroics from a bottle, you get yours from that armor your wearing."

One of the bullets got lucky and lodged itself in one of Iron Man's thrusters, sending him spiraling toward the ground. Steve made his way over and pointed the gun at his opponent's head to signal he had won. "Take that off and what are you?"

Stark, recognizing that he had lost, got to his feet and flipped open his mask to reveal a virtually expressionless face. "Genius, billionaire, playboy, philanthropist."

Steve scoffed at that, smiling without amusement. "There's always a way out with you. What happens when you have to make a sacrifice?" he demanded, remembering all the times he'd done that himself. He knew it was kind of changing the subject, but it was just another one of his thoughts on Tony that he had kept inside for so long. "I don't think you can do that. You've never been the one to lie down on the wire and let the other guy crawl over you."

Tony didn't have a reply for him. He just stared at Steve for several seconds before he finally came up with something. "I'm starting to wonder what compelled us to be friends in the first place."

Steve smirked darkly, part of him telling himself to shut up because _why _was he saying these things? He usually kept his feelings to himself so that no one would get hurt. And here he was dishing out a _huge _load of hurt. "I'm starting to wonder why I _ever _considered us friends. The ones I had back in the war? They were worth _ten _of you."

Guilt coursed through a part of Steve, but another part was thrilled. He was _finally _standing up to Stark who, in his opinion, needed someone to talk to him a _long _time ago.

Anger, and quite possibly pain, flooded into Tony's previously expressionless gaze as he said, "Okay, then. It's good to know where _I _stand. You know, I'm not sure why I'm even here. I'm not an Avenger and, _clearly, _I'm not wanted."

Bitterness had crept into his voice as he went on. "I don't know who you think you are, _Rogers, _but you certainly aren't Captain America right now. And if you're as confused as I am, try talking to my dad. You two are perfect for each other."

Stark whirled on his heel and strode for the door, and a sense of triumph that Steve _knew _he wasn't feeling swept through him.

Just before Tony left, he paused at the door. "Oh, and the next time you even _think _about talking to me? Don't."

And with those words, he was gone.

As soon as Stark had left, that angry feeling that had spurred Steve to say everything he had faded. Part of it was left, though, so he didn't _completely _regret what he had said. But that feeling of guilt came back full force.

What had he done? Friends didn't say those things to each other. _Steve _didn't say those things to _anyone. _Yes, Tony's words had hurt him enough to where they were still stinging after their fight was over, but that didn't justify all the things Steve himself had said.

When he slowly turned to face the other occupants of the room, the two remaining sparring partners were looking at him with wide eyes (for Thor was fighting in a different room and Bruce had left to get breakfast from the cafeteria). He was about to open his mouth to defend himself when Clint interrupted.

"Stark had it coming."

Steve blinked in surprise. Okay, so he hadn't expected _that. _"You think so?"

Natasha looked doubtful, but she said what the boys wanted to hear. Probably because she was afraid to say anything else. "You shouldn't have gone as far as you did, but someone had to give Stark a taste of his own medicine."

With that, the two returned to their match with a vengeance that Captain America and Iron Man had been fighting with. Only they kept their frustration with each other more physical than verbal.

Steve looked back at where Tony had disappeared, weighing the pros and cons of following him. Just as he was deciding that, _no, _he wasn't going to apologize because Stark deserved it, his thoughts were interrupted by the room trembling.

As stirred dust fell from the rafters, Steve met Natasha and Clint's eyes, all thoughts on his fight with Iron Man vanishing when he said a single, dread filled word.

"Hulk."

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><p><strong>If you haven't figured it out by now, <em>yes, <em>I'm writing a plot similar to _The Avengers_ movie. It's obviously not exactly the same, but that's where I'm getting some of my inspiration. I don't own the movie, by the way. Not that you thought I did. **


	28. Chapter 28

**So I now remember that Steve had his shield quite a few chapters back when the Hulk made his first appearance. That's an error on my part, but I liked writing him being reunited with his shield, so I'm leaving it in. Okay? Okay.**

**Also, the credit for the plot in this chapter solely goes to _fox tamer 113. _She's the one that suggested it, and I wouldn't have thought of it on my own.**

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><p>Tony wanted to beat the living daylights out of Steve right about now. But he had to settle for storming his way back to the ground floor to find Bruce. He needed someone who would listen and not take Steve's side. His science bro seemed like the best option.<p>

What gave Rogers the right to say all those things to him? Okay, granted, he'd been just as obnoxious back, but in his opinion, Cap had gone too far.

_"You're not really a hero. You're barely even a threat," _Steve had said.

That was the first time Tony had frozen, for his father's words had echoed in his head. _"You're not a hero, Anthony. You're not even a threat."_

_"You get your heroics from that armor your wearing," _Steve had insulted. _"Take that off and what are you?"_

Once again, Howard's words mocked him. _"You think you're a hero because of that armor. But take it off and what are you?"_

The final blow had been Steve saying, _"I'm starting to wonder why I ever considered us friends. The ones I had back in the war? They were worth **ten **of you."_

And Howard after Tony had answered with his usual 'genius, billionaire, playboy, philanthropist' quip. _"You think those four little words are a way out? You think you're special? I've met men with none of what you have. And they were worth _**_ten _**_of you."_

Tony had been trying his hardest to keep it together. It was at times like these that he really appreciated the walls he'd built up over the years.

But upon reaching the cafeteria and finding Bruce sitting there, he felt his walls begin to crumble. And when his best friend asked in a soft voice, "What's wrong, Tony?" he lost it. He rested his arms on the table and buried his face in them so that his science bro couldn't see the tears squeezing their way out of his eyes.

All the while he told himself that he didn't cry. He _never _cried. But, really, he'd been holding in all of this pain and hurt since his father said everything Steve had. It wasn't until after Steve hurled all those things in his face again and Bruce's caring tone greeted him that he broke down. And honestly? He knew he should have been ashamed at the hot tears dripping onto the table in front of him, but he couldn't bring himself to be. He knew Bruce understood and didn't care if he cried.

"Tony?" he heard his friend query after a few minutes of having his shoulder massaged gently. "Do you want to talk about it?"

Tony took a deep, shaky breath as he sat up, wiping his eyes quickly. "I, uh, sorry for breaking down on you like...like that."

He hated the way his voice was stuttering and slightly quivery, but Bruce didn't seem to mind for he was shaking his head. "It's perfectly fine. And don't worry." He winked. "I won't tell anyone."

Tony let out a weak chuckle. "It's just that I...uh...well, I've had a _really _crappy day."

Bruce's eyebrows shot up. "_Nooo._"

Tony offered a miniscule smile. "Was that sarcasm?"

"_Nooo._"

He shoved Bruce before continuing. "You already know about Dad finding out about Steve. Well, he confronted me last night. He...uh...he hit me. And he told me that Steve would have made a better son," he said, his voice taking on both bitterness and hurt.

He was too absorbed with his own troubles to notice the hint of green creeping into his friend's brown eyes.

"And now I'm starting to think that they really would make a perfect family," Tony went on, glaring down at the table. "Because during training, Steve...Steve said some...some _things _to me."

"What kind of things?" When his friend hesitated, Bruce repeated (his voice growing deeper), "Tony, what kind of things?"

"Nothing that my dad hasn't said before," Tony answered, sounding defeated. "That I'm worthless. That I'm not a hero. That I'm not the one to make the sacrifice play. That they know men worth ten of me."

Bruce's breathing was slowly growing more labored. "Your dad said this to you."

"Yeah."

"And Steve did, too. _Today._"

"Yeah. So now you see why this table is soaked," Tony attempted to joke, gesturing to the saltwater on the smooth surface.

"We can't let them get away with that!" Bruce insisted, his voice loud enough to almost be a yell.

"Whoa, there. Calm down, Brucey. They're entitled to their own opinion. Even if their opinion sucks," Tony said, beginning to realize how worked up his friend was becoming.

"But they _hurt _you," Bruce continued, his voice growing deeper and rougher by the second. "You were _crying. _And you _never _cry."

"Well, no, but health class states that it's good to cry every once in a while."

"That doesn't make what they did okay!"

"No. It doesn't. But you need to calm down before you regret being angry," Tony said, trying to keep his voice soothing.

Unfortunately, it didn't work. And he found himself having to jump up before Bruce shoved the table over, his limbs growing and becoming tinted with green.

"Hulk!" Tony snapped, knowing this friend was at the stage that if the name 'Bruce Banner' was mentioned, he'd completely lose it. "Stop it! I'm _fine._ See? I'm not crying anymore." It took him some effort to say that for it didn't feel right coming out of his mouth, but he'd do anything to calm Bruce down.

"Tony not fine!" the Hulk snapped back and Tony's eyes widened at how quickly the transformation had occurred. Okay, so he'd completely _failed._

"But I...but I am," he insisted, faking a smile. He knew things were bad when the Hulk merely shook his head (and was that an eye roll?).

"Hulk, stand down!" Steve ordered, holding his shield down by his side. Clint stood next to him with a bow in hand. Natasha stood on his other side with a couple of guns, though they were still in their holsters. And Thor held his hammer up, though it wasn't charged.

Tony poked his head out to peer at them around the Hulk. "Bad idea, guys. He's kind of-"

"You hurt Tony!" the green monster growled, holding his arms out to his side as if to shield his friend.

"-mad at you."

"You told him about what just happened, didn't you?" Steve asked, his voice low.

Tony could hear the pure disapproval in it, and he didn't justify the question with an answer. After all, he'd promised himself he was never talking to Steve Rogers again.

"I'll take that as a yes," Clint muttered, nocking an arrow and aiming at the Hulk. "Don't make me use this. Banner and I had it specially made to take you down."

The Hulk merely smiled darkly as Thor leaned forward to say, "It was under my pretension that you are required to use several of those arrows to deal much of a blow on the Hulk."

Clint nodded grimly. "Yeah, and I think he knows it, too."

And yet, Hawkeye still let an arrow fly to lodge in the Hulk's shoulder. Of course, that only made the beast roar in frustration and lunge at the group of people that he saw as his enemies.

"No, stop!" Tony yelled, running after the Hulk to grab his arm. His hands were far from wrapping all the way around it.

He might have hated Steve's guts at the moment, but he didn't want the guy to get killed or anything.

The Hulk merely grunted, pushing Tony away with a gentleness that shocked everyone in the room. It appeared that he wasn't going to let his friend stand in the way of having his revenge.

Clint and Natasha rolled to one side, while Steve rolled to the other. Thor took to the air. "We are not your enemies, Banner!" the thunder god called down. "Try to think!"

"I think _you,_" the Hulk started, jabbing one giant finger in Steve's direction, "hurt Tony!"

"Yeah, yeah, we got that," Clint said, launching another anti-Hulk arrow at the beast. "Any ideas, Cap?"

"Take him down," Steve ordered, hurling his shield at the green monster. "We can't risk him destroying the school and hurting the staff."

"But it isn't his fault!" Natasha called back, her emerald green eyes wide for this was the first time she'd seen the Hulk. "Wouldn't it be smarter to have Stark talk to him?"

"Yes!" Thor agreed. "Stark is the one the Hulk is protecting, is he not?"

"Look, I said take him down and I mean it. Just try not to hurt the boy inside," Steve shot back, reaching up to catch his shield as it ricocheted off the Hulk's head. Of course, that gained him even _more _attention. Faster than he could blink, the Hulk reached over and grabbed him.

"Steve!" Clint yelled, letting another anti-Hulk arrow fly, but they seemed to do nothing.

Every time Tony had tried to push forward, the Hulk had kept him away. But now, seeing Steve about to get the life squeezed out of him, he took action. He climbed up onto one of the tables that was still intact and leapt onto the Hulk, clinging to the monster's neck.

"Listen to me!" he hissed into the large green ear. "I know you hate him right now. I do, too. But killing him won't solve anything. Maybe we can devise a plot that will get our revenge without hurting Rogers. If you truly want to protect me, Hulk, you'll let him go. We'll figure something out, okay? Just don't stoop down to a level even lower than his was."

Tony didn't know exactly what it was in his speech that stopped the Hulk (maybe it was the fact that he hadn't tried to call him Banner, or because he wasn't scared of him). Whatever the case, the beast dropped a choking Steve, even if he looked reluctant.

Tony smiled and patted a large green shoulder before sliding to the floor. "Atta boy. That's my Hulk."

It was a bit of a shock to everyone, how Stark had handled the Hulk. It was also a surprise when he didn't revert back to Bruce Banner immediately. Instead, the large green beast pointed at the group of four.

"You...hurt Tony again...and I hurt you," he said slowly, trying to form the right words. "No...no exceptions."

The four friends nodded and Tony patted the Hulk again. "Wow, Hulk! _Exceptions. _That has to be your biggest word yet. I'm proud of you, big guy!"

Hulk grinned at the compliment before finally beginning to transform back into Bruce Banner. Tony made sure to shield him as he reached for his backpack for a change of clothes.

When he was once again wearing a shirt and pants, he got to his feet and crossed his arms to face the other group with Tony. He didn't look like he regretted turning into the Hulk. He might have been trembling a bit, and there might have been a _hint _of guilt, but for the most part he looked confident.

While on the other side stood Steve and Clint, their stances mimicking Tony and Bruce's. Steve looked slightly guilty, but he obviously wasn't budging. And Clint looked like he would stick by Cap no matter what.

Thor was once again stuck in the middle, unable to choose. Which, Tony supposed, was a choice in and of itself because it looked like he wasn't _going _to choose.

Which left Natasha. The girl looked from one side to the other before lifting her chin with a look of defiance that none of them had seen since before discovering her past. Silently, she marched over to Tony and Bruce, standing in between the science bros. It actually left Tony with a warm feeling in his chest. He knew there was a reason he decided to trust her.

Before any of them could say anything, Fury's voice (not Coulson's) was echoing over the intercom system.

"If you're hearing this Avengers, and you'd _better _be, you need to get up to the roof ASAP. We have a situation. A _cold _situation."

Natasha, Thor, and Clint looked confused since they hadn't been informed of the situation in the vault. But Bruce and Tony's gazes met and Steve's eyes widened a fraction.

"Well, that sounds horrible," Bruce commented.

Tony smirked. "Understatement, bro. Massive understatement."

And with that, the six Avengers broke into a run with an urgency that rivaled the previous Hulk incident.


	29. Chapter 29

**Wow. It's been a really long time since I updated this. But hey, I'm almost up to 150 followers! You guys are awesome! And it's good to know people are still reading this even though I haven't updated in months. *guilty face***

**Anyway, onto the long awaited chapter. Sorry if it seems rushed or weird or anything. I haven't thought too much about this story in forever.**

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><p>The pattering of Clint's footsteps on the tile floor echoed his pounding heart, which was racing from both adrenaline and frustration. He was still mad at Natasha for lying to him. He'd <em>trusted <em>her. He...He'd _liked _her. They'd been having a conversation about that exact thing when he'd discovered the truth about her. Everything about her from the very beginning had been one huge freaking lie.

Sure, he knew he should probably be focusing on something else. Like Tony and Steve. Seriously, what was their problem? Or better yet, maybe he should be turning his thoughts to, I don't know, the weird happenings going on upstairs?

A voice interrupted his thoughts. _Her _voice. "Clint."

"What?" he snapped at her before he could even think about what he was saying. "What makes you think I'm going to listen to you?"

She skidded to a halt, turning her piercing emerald gaze on him. The submissive Natasha from yesterday was gone, replaced with the usual kickbutt, her-stare-makes-you-want-to-run-and-hide Natasha. "_Look. _I get that you're mad at me. I do. But don't you think it would be better to work together so we can solve this? The faster we do that, the faster we can get back to being enemies."

The final statement caused Clint to freeze in his tracks, his anger fading unrealistically fast. Yeah, he kind of hated her at the moment, but they weren't _enemies_...right?

"That, and you're going the wrong way. We need to go down this hall," she went on, gesturing with one hand toward the hall on her left where the others had already disappeared.

Clint was silent as he whirled on his heel and resumed his sprint down the specified hall, though that silence didn't last long. "Why did you lie to us? To _me?_"

Natasha easily kept pace with him, keeping her eyes fixed on the direction they were going. "I never lied to you, Clint."

All his rage came rushing back as fast as it had faded. "How can you even _say _that? Another lie! I can't believe it."

"Did you ever ask if I was part of the Red Room Gang?" Natasha asked, her voice surprisingly calm. "Did you ever ask if I was part of the Avengers Initiative?"

Okay, so she had a point. "But...But what about your name?" he stammered, grasping at straws. His anger was dissolving again. Dang, what was wrong with his emotions? "Your file said it was Natalia Romanova."

She finally turned to look at him, her eyebrows arched. "Natasha Romanoff is basically the English version of my Russian name, Barton."

Clint turned that over in his mind, feeling a little stupid that he hadn't put that one together. "Fine. Point for you. But if I'm going to forgive you, I expect an explanation. I want to know everything. Capiche?"

The sides of Natasha's mouth lifted ever so slightly as if she wanted to smile, but didn't want to risk it. "Understood."

He really did mean it. About the forgiving her part. He _wanted _to. All his anger had faded to be replaced with exhaustion. He was tired of keeping up this 'I hate Natasha' façade, even if there was some truth to it. He wanted to put this behind them and go back to being friends.

Huh. It was weird how he'd been so mad at her not five minutes ago and now he was wanting to forgive her. Was that normal?

No. No, it wasn't. Come to think of it, why _was _he wanting to forgive her? Had she even apologized yet? So that was kind of irrelevant, but it didn't matter. Clint's anger was coming back. It felt like ice encasing all the warm feelings he held towards Natasha.

If Clint had been in his right mind, he would have wondered why his mood kept swinging. As it was, he _wasn't _in his right mind and goshdarn it, part of him wanted to hash it out with Natasha right here and right now.

"Clint?" the very target of his tortured mind asked. "Are you okay?"

He wanted to wipe the concern right off her face. Why was she concerned about him? She didn't care. If she cared, she wouldn't have lied to him.

He was about to lose it and start yelling at her again, but just then the two arrived on the roof. And the sight wasn't good. It was enough to distract Clint from Natasha.

About a dozen S.H.I.E.L.D. agents were frozen in various poses, scattered around the rooftop. Upon closer inspection, some looked shocked or betrayed while others were locked in defensive maneuvers, guns out or fists raised.

"Um...what the heck?" Yup. That was Clint. He liked how he was just as eloquent with words as Steve or Thor.

"Anyone have the 411 on Fury?" Tony spoke up, slowly making his way through the frozen S.H.I.E.L.D. agents.

Clint's sharp eyes scanned the rooftop until he spotted motion on the opposite side of the space. To his surprise, it wasn't the Director he saw. It was Principal Coulson, and he was holding some sort of weird gun thing. Wait a second...

Clint narrowed his eyes. Was that a female S.H.I.E.L.D. agent holding a regular gun to his face? No, wait. The gun was elongating into something. A scepter? And the female was shifting into a...

Loki.

Clint didn't know how Phil had known the woman was Loki in disguise. All Clint knew was that the only man he had kind of possibly liked was having a stand off against a god. And that couldn't end well.

"Loki!" Thor cried, obviously debating whether it would be wise to approach the other god. "Brother, what are you doing?"

Ignoring his brother, Loki's eyes flicked from one member of the Avengers to the next (and was it just Clint, or did Loki's eyes stay on him a second longer than the others?). "Good, you're all here. I wouldn't want anyone to miss this."

For Coulson's credit, he didn't even bat an eye in the Avengers direction. He kept his gaze (and his gun thingie) focused on Loki. "Remember, this is just a prototype. Even I don't know what it does."

As he spoke, the weapon began to glow with a weird orange light. "Want to find out?"

What happened next occurred so fast, Clint almost missed it because he blinked. One second, Loki's scepter was being held innocently at his side. The next, it was lodged in Coulson's chest. But Phil didn't go down without a fight. At almost the exact time the scepter pierced his heart, he fired the weapon. Loki went flying back and, amazingly, managed to hang onto his scepter.

Though holding onto his scepter meant it was ripped from Phil's chest. Which meant blood began to gush from the wound.

"No!" nearly all the Avengers cried in unison. They rushed forward to gather around Phil.

All except Clint. He wanted nothing more than to join his friends, but his feet moved on their own accord. Instead of rushing toward their fallen mentor, he made a mad dash in the direction Loki had gone flying.

Wait, why was he helping _Loki_? The guy had just hurt Coulson. _Coulson!_ And now Clint was reaching for Loki's hand since the god was clinging to the edge of the roof with his fingertips. Clint could feel his face relaxed in an impassive expression.

Loki's visage, on the other hand, was confident. "Very good, Clinton. I was beginning to think my scepter didn't work on you."

As Clint pulled Loki pack onto the roof, it all came rushing back to him.

_He walks down the hall, his hands angrily shoved into his pockets. He knows walking away from his friends without discussing the new Avengers Initiative development is unreasonable, but he does it anyway. Needless to say, he isn't thinking about coming back to school tomorrow, even if it is going to be a Saturday. All he is thinking about is how Natasha had lied to them. And Fury still expects them to work well together? No way._

_"Something on your mind, Clinton?"_

_Clint doesn't even bother to look up as he walks past the god. "Not now, Loki. I'm not in the mood."_

_"Perhaps I can lift your spirits."_

_Before he can react, Loki grabs his arm and twists it, causing Clint to let out a little moan of pain. Before he can fight back, he feels the cool metal tip of the scepter in Loki's hand press against his chest._

_An overwhelming feeling of dizziness surges over him and he nearly collapses. "What was that, man? You trying to kill me or something?"_

_When his vision clears, he sees a look of genuine confusion in Loki's eyes. "That should have worked." He sighs, releasing Clint. "I hate Midgard."_

_Clint opens his mouth to reply, but Loki disappears in a flash of blue light. He rubs his brow, starting down the hall again. It is late, he is emotionally exhausted, and he wants to go home. Maybe he is hallucinating. _

_Eh, he decides he'll figure it out in the morning. _

Clint flashed back to the present to catch Loki midsentence.

"-thought it was Midgard interfering with my magic," the god was saying as he brushed his hands against his clothing, trying to do something about the scorch marks from Coulson's weapon. "I'm glad to know you're just a late bloomer."

Clint took a breath to ask just what the heck Loki had done to him, but he found he couldn't speak. He found he could only stand at attention with that same emotionless expression on his face.

Mind control. Clint hated mind control. Okay, so he had never experienced it before, but he definitely hated it now.

"Come, Clinton," Loki said, leaning heavily against his new lackey. The weapon had hurt him more than he probably cared to admit. "Now that I don't have to worry about that man giving away my plans, we can get to work. I still don't understand how he figured it out."

Clint inwardly smiled, even as he unwillingly helped Loki escape. That was Principal Coulson. The man was a lot smarter than he let on.

Wait. He was helping Loki _escape. _

His friends were too busy tending to Phil. Clint wanted nothing more than to open his mouth and scream at them, _"I've been compromised! Stop me! Loki's getting away!"_

But all he could do was obediently get Loki through the roof access door and back into the school.

"Ah, Clinton." Loki smiled. "We're going to have such fun together."


	30. Chapter 30

**Whoa, Chapter 30, people! I never thought I'd get this far. This story started out as a fic I was just writing for fun, but then the Avengers plot happened, and now look where we are. I hope everyone's still enjoying it. Oh, and I reached the 150 follower mark! (I actually surpassed it. All because of you guys who've stayed with me through all my months of not updating. Y'all are awesome.)**

**So without further ado, I bring you the thirtieth chapter.**

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><p>Everything had happened so fast. The brawl with the Hulk (Steve was still trying to wrap his mind around a protective Hulk). The mad dash to the roof. Agent Coulson. Loki. Loki's spear going straight through...<p>

Steve tried to banish that image from his mind, but with his photographic memory, it wasn't going anywhere anytime soon. Now, all he could do was watch Bruce frantically trying to save Phil's life while they waited for a medical team to make their appearance.

"Hang on, we'll get you out of this," Banner was muttering as he used a piece of his shirt to try and stop the steady flow of blood oozing its way out of Coulson's chest. "Just keep breathing."

Phil shook his head, a miniscule movement that Steve doubted anyone noticed but him.

"Bruce," he said, reaching out with one hand to rest it on his friend's shoulder, gently pulling him away. "Stop."

"No, I can save him. This is what I've been training for," the doctor-to-be insisted, trying to shake off Steve's hold, but Cap wouldn't let him go.

"It's okay," Phil said, the Avengers having to lean in to be able to hear his quiet voice. "Listen. This is never going to work if you...if you don't..."

And just like that, before their very eyes, Phil Coulson took his last breath, his eyes unfocused and glazed over.

"No. No!" Bruce all but shouted, stumbling away from the group in a disturbingly Hulk-like manner. Natasha tore her gaze from the body in front of her and hurried after him. The three remaining Avengers didn't make a move.

"The son of Coul will be avenged," Thor said in a firm voice, rising to his feet and twirling his hammer. "I will go find my brother."

With a whoosh of air that stirred the now two remaining Avengers' hair, the thunder god flew away.

Steve stayed where he was, crouching next to Phil Coulson's body. He finally asked in a quiet voice, "Was he married?"

"No," Tony said from where he sat with his knees pulled to his chest, his dull brown eyes fixed on Phil's face. "There was a cellist, I think."

Apparently Stark had decided it was okay to talk to him, but Steve didn't focus on that, instead turning curious eyes over to Tony. "How do you know that?"

Tony swallowed hard, not answering. Something told Steve that Stark knew their mentor a lot more than he had been letting on.

"I'm sorry. He seemed like a good man."

Some life came back to Tony's dark eyes as the boy snorted. "He was an idiot."

And just like that, Steve's pity morphed into confusion (and possibly a hint of anger). "He was doing his job."

"He was out of his league," Stark shot back, his tone hardening with every word. "He should've waited! He should've..."

When Tony's voice broke, Steve felt some pity return. "Sometimes there is no way out, Tony."

"Right," the other boy scoffed. "How did that work for him?"

"Is this the first time that you've lost a soldier?" Steve asked knowingly.

Tony's eyes finally shifted from Phil's body and up to Steve's sturdy gaze. "We are _not _soldiers," he snapped.

Steve didn't reply. He saw more about what Tony thought of the situation in the other boy's eyes than anything he could have voiced in words. Tony didn't approve of the Avengers Initiative. He never had. Maybe that was because of not being recommended, but Stark had always been a loner. Thinking of them as soldiers was like saying they were expendable. That's where a team got you. Some members were expendable. Like Iron Man, apparently. But Phil Coulson was in no way expendable. He wasn't a soldier. He was Tony's _friend._

None of this was said aloud, but Steve found he could read Stark as if the boy were an open book.

"I don't think Fury was right about assembling a team like the Avengers," Stark went on, trying to cover up everything Steve had silently read.

"Neither do I," Steve found himself saying before he realized it. But after he did, he didn't want to take the words back.

"You..." Tony blinked in surprise. "You don't?"

Steve shook his head. "No. He's the director of a top secret organization that handles things the normal government can't. He's bound to have the same blood on his hands as Loki does now."

"Yeah. Yeah, I...I actually agree."

"But we need to put that behind us and get this problem solved," Steve went on in a firm, demanding voice. As he spoke, he was thinking about Coulson's final words. The man had been trying to warn them about the team and how it would never work if they didn't start acting like one. So Steve was going to try and do just that. "I know you technically weren't chosen to be part of the Avengers, but we need you, Tony. Do you think you can manage to work with me long enough to take down Loki?" He substituted the word 'me' for 'us' because he knew that he was the one Stark had the most trouble worth.

Tony's eyes flicked down to Coulson again before returning to meet Steve's gaze. The determined look in them showed Steve what the answer was even before Tony said, "I'm in. But you have to promise me something first."

A hint of apprehension snaked it's way through Steve's chest as he arched an eyebrow. "And what's that?"

"If I work with you, you have to agree to work with Natasha."

Steve pursed his lips for a moment, not answering. He still didn't approve of Romanoff's secret keeping and he knew his face said so.

"Come on, Cap, she feels bad," Stark went on, frowning in disapproval. "And when has she actually put the team in harm's way because of her secrets?"

Okay, so he had a point there. Steve sighed. "All right, it's a deal."

"Um...guys?" Natasha said in a questioning tone of voice as she backed away in their direction. "I think we have a problem."

"What's..." Tony trailed off, his shoulders slumping. "Crap."

Bruce Banner was hunched over on the other side of the roof. Growing green skin was visible even from that distance. The stress of being unable to save Phil Coulson's life had obviously been too much for the boy to handle.

"Bruce!" Steve cried, shooting to his feet and making a move to run over to their friend, only to be stopped by Stark holding his arm out to stop him. "Stark, he needs help!"

"No, he doesn't," Tony said, not taking his eyes off the slowly growing Hulk. "Even I couldn't stop him now."

The three Avengers could do nothing but helplessly watch the transformation, and when the shifting was complete, the Hulk stood before them. When the monster's eyes landed on Phil's lifeless body, he roared and abruptly turned, launching himself off the roof and to the next one. He kept up that way of travel until he was out of sight.

"Well," Stark said, his tone obviously conveying he was trying to look on the bright side of things. "At least he didn't attack us."

"Guys?" Natasha asked again, her clear green eyes clouded over in a frown as she glanced around the roof. "Where's Clint?"

Tony's eyes followed hers and he sighed. "Double crap."

Steve, not wanting to believe it, also focused his gaze on his surroundings. All he saw was a medical team finally arriving to retrieve Phil Coulson's body. There was no Hawkeye in sight. This was just getting better and better.

"Where could he have gone?" Natasha asked, an unusual amount of emotion on her face. Steve could see worry and guilt. He suspected she likely blamed herself for Clint's sudden disappearance.

"I might be able to answer that."

The three Avengers turned to face an approaching Nick Fury. The Director paused to bow his head in respect as the medical team rolled Phil away and then made his way over to the ever dwindling group.

"I've had a group of S.H.I.E.L.D. agents monitor past security recordings ever since Agent Coulson started to suspect something was off about Thor's brother."

"And?" Stark asked impatiently.

Fury eyed him, effectively shutting him up, before continuing. "And we have reason to believe Clint Barton's been compromised."

Steve watched Tony stiffen and Natasha's eyes fill with barely controlled rage even as his own shock made his jaw clench.

Fury pulled out a device similar to an iPad and turned the screen to face them. "This footage was taken soon after you parted ways last night."

Steve watched as a dismal Clint walked down the hall and was suddenly stopped by Loki who placed the tip of his scepter to his chest. Clint's face registered surprise and then confusion when nothing seemed to happen. Loki frowned in anger and then promptly disappeared into midair.

When the video stopped, Fury lowered the device and fixed his eye on the three teenagers. "Now, what I need to know is if any of you noticed Barton acting odd today."

Steve lowered his gaze to the ground in front of him, racking his brain for any memory of strangeness from Clint. As he was trying (without success) to come up with something, Natasha spoke up.

"Just before we arrived on the roof, Clint and I were having a...a fight," she said with only a moment's hesitation on the word 'fight'. "His mood seemed to shift several times. One moment he was mad at me, and the next he was wanting to forgive me. But only a second after that, he seemed to be mad at me again."

"Almost as if he was fighting an unseen force in his head telling him to hate your guts?" Tony asked, earning himself a glare from Natasha.

Steve ignored the bickering Avengers and kept his eyes focused on Fury who held a hand to his ear as if he was listening to a communication device. "Sir?" he question after the Director had lowered his hand. "Is there something else?"

"Yes," the man said, lifting the device again and typing in a command. "There's more footage."

The group watched as the entire scene on the roof happened all over again. Steve noticed Tony look away when Coulson was stabbed, but he found he couldn't take his eyes off the screen. He kept his gaze on Hawkeye who, instead of rushing to Phil when he went flying backwards, ran over to keep Loki from falling off the roof. In their hurry to check on Coulson, none of them had noticed Clint leave.

"He really is under Loki's spell," Natasha murmured, her eyes flicking up to Fury after the video had finished playing. "What do we do?"

"You? You three get some rest," Fury surprised them by answering, tucking the iPad-like screen under his arm. "You've been through a lot. Let S.H.I.E.L.D. handle this for now."

Tony opened his mouth to argue, but Steve held up a hand to stop him. Amazingly, Stark listened and snapped his mouth shut.

"All due respect, sir, but I don't think that's possible."

The Director stared at Steve, not saying a word in an invitation to continue.

"Clint's our friend. And with Bruce and Thor temporarily gone, we can't afford to lose another one of our own. If you get any information on Hawkeye's location, we want to know," Steve paused, "sir."

Fury glanced from Steve's firm gaze, to Tony's arched eyebrow and expectant look, and then to Natasha's unreadable expression and crossed arms. Finally, he said, "I think I can manage that."

Steve nodded and watched the Director go, his trench coat billowing behind him. After Fury had left, Steve turned to examine what was left of his team (because he was kind of starting to see them as a team). It wasn't much. Only half of them stood there and that left Steve with an empty feeling in his chest. He wanted the rest of his friends back.

He would never feel whole until all six of them were together again.


End file.
